Timber Rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus • Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Reptilia, Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Crotalus, Species: C. horridus
Eastern and central North America, ranging from southern New Hampshire southward to northern Florida, and westward to eastern Texas and eastern Nebraska.
Look up Timber Rattlesnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Reptilia, Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Crotalus, Species: C. horridus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern globally, though many regional populations face local threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Physical Description
Heavy-bodied snake featuring a pattern of dark brown or black crossbands or diamonds on a yellowish-brown or grayish background, keeled scales, and a broad triangular head.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen is estimated at around 90-120 cm; typical adult size ranges from 90 to 150 cm with maximum lengths reaching nearly 190 cm.
Habitat
Deciduous forests in rugged terrain, rocky hillsides, river bluffs, and swamps or lowlands, utilizing underground crevices and dens for overwintering.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily consumes small mammals such as mice, voles, rats, and squirrels, employing an ambush hunting strategy.
Reproduction
Viviparous species, giving birth to live young with typical litter sizes ranging from 5 to 15 neonates, breeding on a triennial or biennial cycle.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake or various large colubrids like ratsnakes, which lack rattles and possess different scale and head configurations.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern globally, though many regional populations face local threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Cultural Significance
Historically significant in American symbolism, featured on the Gadsden flag ('Don't Tread on Me'), and plays a crucial ecological role in controlling small mammal populations.
Notable Features
Possesses a prominent caudal rattle used for acoustic warning displays, heat-sensing facial pits between the eye and nostril, and heavily keeled dorsal scales.