Former herpetologist here (still practicing, I guess; just not research oriented). My M.S. project was studying Mojave rattlesnakes and their venom. That's definitely not a Mojave. Mojaves don't inhabit rocky areas, they are a grassland/creosote flats species. Its either a speckled or a tiger rattlesnake. Both of those species have that color variation, can be found at Ben Avery, and inhabit rocky areas. Tigers have a very small head proportionate to their body. Its hard to tell from that pic, which one it is. Its definitely not from shedding its skin. When snakes shed their skin, they stay the same color they were before shedding. When I lived in Tucson, I relocated dozens of rattlesnakes from peoples' yards to avoid bites and to give the snakes a chance to live happy somewhere else. I try to be level-headed and, as much as I hate the idea of a snake being killed, I understand and respect those of you who have killed them in your yards. I know more about venom and both its short- and long-term effects than the average person and I you definitely don't want it in your body, your kids' bodies, of your pets' bodies. I accidentally inhaled pure, crystallized mojave toxin (neurotoxin) once in grad school. My nose went numb for three hours and I had sporadic re-occurrences every few months for about 10 years. I ALWAYS support personal safety first and that includes safety of the whole family!   It is true (generally) that the adult snakes have a high occurrence of dry bites (no venom injected) and that juvenile snakes tend to inject a full load. From an evolutionary point of view, venom is expensive to make and they don't typically (emphasize TYPICALLY) waste it on non-food items. There can be residual venom in the fangs that can cause problems, though. If a paramedic is only treating venomous snake bites with Benadryl to keep the swelling down, that paramedic is not doing their job properly. Antivenin is used for a reason. It is expensive, but it sure beats the alternative (mostly massive tissue damage internal bleeding). Very few people die of snake bites anymore, due to advances in medicine, particularly antivenin. It is typically those who leave a venomous snake bite untreated that have a higher chance of dying. Anitvenin, in and of itself, has pros and cons as to its effectiveness and cost (that's a whole other topic, though).