Timber Rattlesnake

The very insignificant simpering members of the rattlesnake family are the timber rattlesnakes which are also called as canebrake rattlesnake. These types of snakes are very silent ones which do not participate in the fights and try to avoid them. They always try to avoid any type of interaction with the humans and usually try to escape from the situation when they get face to face human contact.

Identification of the Timber Rattlesnake:

One of the biggest sign for identification of the rattlesnake is that they are having rattled at the end of the black colored tail. To identify the timber rattlesnake particularly they have two pits which are found in the mid-way of the eyes and the nostrils and on each side of head. The snake has V – shape pattern or the cross band patterns. They have the vertical and elliptical shaped pupils which differentiate them from others. They also have specific type of scale which is single lined. The y have dark brown or black present just behind the head. They are not very long in size but they measure about four feet on an average and can be even 6 feet also. The timber snakes are generally fat but if there is shortage of the food then they can be lean and thin also. In color they can be of diverse colors like yellow, brown, black and gray also.

Habitat and natural range of the Timber Rattlesnake:

These types of snakes are generally found in the northern and southern part of the country. These generally live in the forest habitats. In the forest they like to prefer to live in the hemlock and hard wood forests which are seep and open.

 
As it is informed earlier that these snakes try to avoid the human interaction so they try to live as far as possible form the human habitats. As today there is almost no place where there is any human activity so they can be easily seen in the open fields and the grasslands. They like to make the holes and live there in the rocky areas.

The timber rattlesnakes are not aggressive ones and try to avoid any place where there are humans. But if the situation is something very dangerous then they can fight too but firstly try to avoid it and escape from the narrow. The snake is not so poisonous as compared to the other snakes but they can harm if get bitten. The poison is not so dangerous but is the treatment is not done early then it may result to death. It is not so harmful for the soft tissues. But the bite needs immediate medical treatment so that no further contamination can occur.

What they eat:

The timber rattlesnakes like to eat rabbits, frogs, birds, lizards and other snakes also. They can eat any other things also whichever fits in their mouth.

Timber Rattlesnake species and subspecies:

There is long list of its species and subspecies. These basically includes the genera Sistrurus and the Crotalus. In the Crotalus genera there are western and eastern diamond rattlesnake. The Catalina and Mexican West Coast rattlesnakes are the subspecies of timber Rattlesnake. In the sidewinders there are Mojave, Sonoran, and Colorado Desert Sidewinders. In the Sistrurus genera there are Massasauga like the Desert, Eastern and Western Massasauga. Among the Pigmy Rattlesnakes the Dusky, Carolina, Western Pigmy Rattlesnakes comes in the species and subspecies.

Matting and offspring of the Timber Rattlesnakes:

The timber rattlesnakes are the ovo – viviparous reptiles. The offspring is produced through the eggs. In the parturition stage the eggs are released by the female and then after that the young snakes are developed. The female timber rattlesnake become sexually matured in average 5 to 6 years and then generally produce 10 to 12 offspring in every 2 – 3 years’ time period.

To find the perfect partner the males the males follow the scent trails. Once the correct female with the active mating ability then the male initiate the female with rubbing the neck of the female with the chin. Then the male timber rattlesnake rapidly jerks her until the mating starts. This mating may last for many hours. They follow the polygynous mating system. The perfect breeding time is in the middle of the year about in the July to October months. They produce around 10 to 15 offspring at one time mating.

The timber rattlesnakes are not the dangerous species of the snakes. They are such snakes which try to avoid any type of interaction with the humans and just need habitat to live. But the people should remain at distance from them.

Wayne Daugherty
Guest Poster
Reptile Love