Timber Rattlesnake
(Crotalus horridus)
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Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) |
Color Photograph: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Color Photograph: U.S. Geological Survey
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Crotalus adamanteus The only other eastern rattlesnake, The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, has conspicuous light margined diamond-shaped markings along its back. The head has distinct light bands along its side. Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) Identification: Length 35 to 75 inches. Rattles present. Color variable from yellow-brown to brown to gray, sometimes nearly black. Head without unmarked or with a dark stripe behind the eye, but with out vertical light stripes. Both with dark rectangular patches, patches becoming fused into circular bands toward the rear half of the body. Tail usually black. Geographical Variation: None. Range (see map below left): The Timber Rattlesnake occupies most of the eastern United States, but is absent from New England, Florida, and the northern states of Michican and Wisconsin. The range extends westward to the eastern Great Plains from eastern Texas in the south to Minnesota in the north. Habitat: Northern populations are found on rocky hill and mountain sides. Southern populations, in contrast occur in swamps, thickets, and bamboo canebrakes. Food: Small mammals and birds. Behavior: Northern populations are often found on hillsides with rocky outcrops. The species often overwinters in dens with rat snakes and copperheads. Reproduction: Young are produced in August to October. The female typically produces 5 to 17 offspring each year.
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Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
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