A large, heavy-bodied rattlesnake of eastern North American hardwood forests, calm by nature and culturally important in colonial American history.
Description
The timber rattlesnake is a robust grey, brown, or yellow rattlesnake usually 90 to 150 cm long, with a dark stripe along the spine and a series of zig-zag dark crossbands on the back. The base of the tail is uniformly velvety black, a useful diagnostic feature even at a distance.
Behavior
Calm and unhurried, the timber rattler relies on cryptic colour and a vibrating rattle to warn intruders before retreating or coiling defensively. It hibernates in communal rocky dens used by generations. Its image appeared on the early American “Dont Tread on Me” Gadsden flag.
Range
Distributed across the eastern United States from southern New Hampshire to northern Florida and west to Texas and Oklahoma. The species has been extirpated from much of its northeastern range due to habitat loss and historical persecution.
Find more snakes by letter
Timber Rattlesnake starts with T and ends with E. Browse other snakes along the same letter.
Snakes that contain a letter from "Timber Rattlesnake":