Wednesday, April 16th
April's meeting will focus on how to safely handle and present your reptile to the public. Please feel free to bring your own animal to show off.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Annual Banquet
PLEASE NOTE: The annual banquet and recognition dinner will be rescheduled due to conflicts. The new date will likely be a Saturday in May, please contact a board member for more information.
Timber Rattlesnake
(Crotalus horridus)
Photo Courtesy of Aaron Greene
The Timber Rattle snake is considered Threatened in New York State though it is fairly common in other parts of the eastern United States and does not have a Federal status. They were once found on Long Island and most mountainous and hill regions of New York State except for the highest elevations of the Adirondacks, Catskills and Tug Hill region. They are now only found in isolated populations in Southeastern New York, the Southern Tier and in the eastern Adirondacks.
The Timber Rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in New York State and is usually 3 - 4½ long with a heavy body. They have a large triangular head with several small scales on the top of the head surrounded bay a few large scales.
There are two different color patterns found in New York State: a yellow phase and a black phase. The yellow phase has yellow, brown or gray background with black or brown cross bands. The black phase has a dark background wit the same black or brown cross bands. Some black phase Timber Rattlesnake's appear almost completely black.
Like all other pit vipers they possess a temperature sensing organ referred to as a pit. The pits allow the snake to detect its prey as well as potential predators. The pits on the Timber Rattlesnake are located on both sides of the face below the eyes and nostrils. The most distinctive characteristic of all rattlesnakes is the rattle at the end of the tail. A segment is added to the rattle after each shed. Some segments of the rattle routinely break off as well so it is impossible to tell a rattlesnake's exact age from the number of segments on the rattle. When the snake shakes its tail you hear the distinctive sound that all rattlesnakes possess.
You most often encounter rattlesnakes from April to October. During the winter months they will hibernate in a den, often with several other snakes and skinks. The dens are generally open and located below the frost line in a talus or rock fissures on a south facing slope surrounded by hardwood forests. These snakes will usually migrate 1 - 2½ miles from their dens each summer. Mating usually occurs in the fall and males are particularly active searching for females emitting pheromones indicating the female is receptive for breeding. Timber rattlesnakes do not lay eggs but give birth to 4 - 14 live young after a gestation period of 4 - 5 months in mid-August - September. A usual litter has about 9 young rattlesnakes which are about a foot in length. Each young rattlesnake is born individually surrounded by thin membrane which is shed quickly. Young rattlesnakes have a rattle segment "button" at the tip if the tail, fangs and venom glands and can envenomate. The young will then follow the mothers scent trail back to the den. Males become sexually mature at 5 years and females reach sexual maturity in 7 - 11 years. Rattlesnakes usually live 16 - 22 years with some reaching an age of 30 years.
Timber Rattlesnakes are found in deciduous forests in fairly rugged terrain. Gravid females tend to prefer rocky, open ledges where they can bask in the sun and raise their body temperature. Males and non-gravid females tend to be found in thicker woods under the forest canopy.
Timber Rattlesnakes have been persecuted over the years. It is because of that persecution and over-collection that they are no longer found in many areas that they used to be common. Part of the persecution of these animal came from a government paid bounty for each snake killed that was in effect until 1971 when New York banned all bounties. Habitat destruction have also contributed greatly to the reduced number of snakes. Because Timber Rattlesnakes reproduce slowly they are unable to quickly bounce back from all of these factors.
As with all venomous snakes, this species should not be directly approached or handled as it can pose a very serious danger. It is best to leave this animal in place and if you are lucky enough to have a camera with you take some pictures away of your encounter.
Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.
Help further herpetology research and education by donating to the Marvin R. Aures Herpetological Grant