You' Won't Believe the Creatures Arizonans Found in Their Homes!

Over the weekend, I found an impressive snake on my front porch. In the inky dark, I could see it was black, quite impressively long, and appeared preoccupied under my front step.

As this event unfolded, I realized I'd come a long way in the decades I've lived in this state. Had this happened two or three years after I arrived in Arizona, I would've screamed, jumped back in my car, and booked a hotel.

What To Do If You See a Snake On Your Arizona Porch

How times have changed! Instead, my daughter, the newly minted biologist, stood by my side, shining her cell phone flashlight on the snake, reducing her voice to a whisper, and assuring me everything would be okay.

READ: Tarantulas, Rattlesnakes, Scorpions. Cochise County is Tough!

"Mom, shhh, they're very sensitive to sound. We don't want to bother him," she advised. "And move slowly; I can't see his head yet. We want to make sure it's round and not diamond-shaped. I doubt he's venomous, but we just want to make sure."

"Diamond-shaped - poisonous. Round-shaped, good guy," I whispered.

"They're all good guys, Mom," my daughter chided. "There are just some you need to give a wide berth to because they're venomous," she corrected, "and others who are, well, more approachable."

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Instead of screaming or running, we did what any reasonable person does in our modern age: we began snapping photos, then emailing them to our friend experts. Frexperts, if you will.

READ: The Top 17 Scariest Things About Living in Arizona

I sent my photo to one of the Cochise County Snake Guys, Patrick Shaughnessy, and asked if he could give us an ID. My daughter sent the photo to her friends, and we both got word back: a beautiful king snake.

Their advice? Leave him be and let him help keep the mouse population down. So, we did just that. We checked about a half hour later, and he'd moved along, but we sincerely hoped he would hang around.

I was inspired to learn what types of creatures our social media friends were finding on their property. We got some interesting photos.

The LAST one will freak you out, no matter who you are!

"Scary" Critters Found in Arizona Homes! You Won't Believe the Last One!

Every summer, the bugs come out, no matter where you live. In Arizona, our definition of creepy crawly changes the longer you live in our state. For some, it's a right of passage to find the "first tarantula of the season", for others, it's a time of year fraught with heart-stopping fear.

We asked our Facebook friends to share the creepiest crawlies found in their Arizona homes. Here are your answers! You won't believe the last one!!

Gallery Credit: Val Davidson