Timber Rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Crotalus, Species: Crotalus horridus
Found in the eastern and central United States, ranging from southern New Hampshire and Maine south to northern Florida, and west to eastern Texas, central Oklahoma, and southeastern Minnesota.
Look up Timber Rattlesnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Crotalus, Species: Crotalus horridus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern globally, though many state-level populations face severe threats from habitat fragmentation, deliberate persecution, and illegal collection for the pet trade.
Physical Description
Stocky body with heavily keeled scales. The head is distinctly triangular and wider than the neck. Coloration is typically yellowish, gray, or brown, overlaid with dark brown or black crossbands or chevron-shaped markings, often featuring a distinct rusty-brown or orange dorsal stripe running down the back.
Size & Dimensions
Adults typically range from 90 to 150 cm (35 to 59 inches) in total length, with maximum recorded lengths approaching 189 cm (74 inches).
Habitat
Prefers heavily forested areas, rugged terrain, rocky hillsides, ridges, and deciduous forests. In the summer, they often move to higher, drier elevations or open canopy forests, while winter is spent communally in rocky crevices or dens below the frost line.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily preys upon small mammals such as mice, voles, rats, squirrels, and occasionally birds. They are ambush predators that rely on thermoregulation and sensory pits to locate passing prey, striking and releasing before tracking the scent trail.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous (giving birth to live young). Mating typically occurs in late summer or autumn, with females giving birth to litters averaging 5 to 15 young every 2 to 3 years.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern globally, though many state-level populations face severe threats from habitat fragmentation, deliberate persecution, and illegal collection for the pet trade.
Cultural Significance
Historically significant in American history, featuring prominently on the Gadsden flag ('Don't Tread on Me') as a symbol of colonial unity and resistance during the American Revolution. Ecologically, they play an essential role in regulating rodent populations.
Notable Features
Possesses specialized heat-sensing pit organs located between the eye and the nostril, allowing the detection of warm-blooded prey in total darkness, along with a complex keratin rattle at the tip of the tail.