(THREATENED) Timber
Rattlesnake - Northern forms range from yellow through brown or gray to
black, with dark back and side blotches on front of body and blotches
fused to form cross bands on rear of body. Head is unmarked; it has a
dark stripe behind eye. The maximum length is about 75". It
prefers remote wooded hillsides with rock outcrops, swampy areas and
floodplains. Its active April to October; in the daytime in spring and
fall, at night during the summer. In northern areas, Timber
Rattlesnakes congregate in large numbers about rocky den sites and may
over winter with rat snakes. Often encountered coiled up waiting for
prey - squirrels, mice, chipmunks, small birds; when approached,
remains motionless. Record longevity exceeds 30 years.
|
