Timber Rattlesnake

Breeding:
Mates in autumn and shortly after emergence from hibernation. Female give birth every other year to 5-17 young, 10-13” long, late August to early October. Females mature in 4 5 years.

Habitat:
Remote wooded hillsides with rock outcrops in the North; unsettled swampy areas, canebrake thickets, and floodplains in the South; sea level to  6,600; 92,000m)

Range:
Extreme sw. Maine south to n. Florida, west into se. Minnesota and c. Texas

Active April to October; in the daytime in spring and fall, at night during the summer. In northern acres, Timber Rattlesnakes congregate in large number about rocky den sites and may over winter with rat snakes and Copperheads. Often encountered coiled up waiting for prey- squirrels mice, chipmunks, small birds; when approached, remains motionless. Record longevity exceeds 30 years. Until recently, southern populations were recognized as the Canebrake Rattlesnake.