Timber Rattler Sighting

W

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
Last Sunday(9/7) outside Chatsworth my daughter and I had a scare when we came over a hill and there was a large snake crossing the road. It was all I could do to straddle this snake which was about 4 foot long. Thankfully, we didn't hit it. I only had a crappy camera phone but I managed to get some pix before it left. I knew it was a rattler, but later identified it as a Timber rattler (crotalus horridus). I am very excited, I've never seen one before.
cid_0907081211.jpg

If you look at the enlarged image, you will see it sorry.
cid_0907081215.jpg

Tom
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,721
4,908
Pines; Bamber area
I am fairly certain that is a pine snake Tom. Basically harmless to us.

If you do see a rattler, it is not healthy to straddle them.
 
manumuskin

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,686
2,609
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com
I second Bob's opinion.that is a pine snake.Pituophis melanoluecus as opposed to a timber rattler,Crotalus horridus.The dead give away is no rattle and the colors and pattern also the head.rattlers have triangular heads to make room for venom glands,they also have pits behind their nostrils which are heat sensors.the pine snake has none of these.The pine snake has a bullet shaped nose for digging and instead of having zigzag bands as a rattler does they have brown blotches on a cream to reddish ground color.They also tend to hiss very loudly when cornered and will sometimes bite depending on the individual snake.The bite would hurt much less then a rattlers would due to the abscence of fangs and no venom.Pine snakes also lay eggs and all pit vipers including rattlers bare live young.Also pines are threatened,rattlers are endangered which is more severe.In almost 40 years of herping I've only been lucky enough to see one rattler in the pines but have seen plenty of pines which are locally abundant but very habitat sensitive.
Al
 
Teegate

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
26,008
8,774
Pine snakes have a way to move their tail on the ground and make it sound like a rattle, but mostly they hiss ...really loud :)

Guy
 
manumuskin

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,686
2,609
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com
also I read that rattlers are reported to den with pines.Their not able to dig their own dens but will take up squatters rights in pine dens which doesn't bother the pines at all.I"ve never witnessed this but have read it occurs.
Al
 
dragoncjo

dragoncjo

Piney
Aug 12, 2005
1,579
307
43
camden county
Just a FYI all snakes rattle there tale....however the sound is much different with a timber rattlesnake.....you can hear a timber from 100 yards away while a pine vibrating its tale is very quiet in comparison. A pine snake is still nice to see and that one is exceptionally white and pretty.......
 
woodjin

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,358
340
Near Mt. Misery
I've witnessed pinesnakes rattleing their tails (pbx, three river crossing), and their is a similar appearence to the yellow phase rattler. Bob, I think he staddled it with his truck, not his legs. Nice snake Tom.

Jeff
 
B

bigw00dy

Scout
Apr 10, 2008
32
1
08087
www.kiddshow.com
Not to hijack the thread, but here is a scan of an old newspaper clipping of my father. I found it recently and thought you guys might enjot it.

*Photo was taken between Aug 28 - Sept 1, 1977*
COPYsnakes2.jpg
 
dragoncjo

dragoncjo

Piney
Aug 12, 2005
1,579
307
43
camden county
Thats a real cool article. One thing that amazes me about my pine barrens natives is the respect they have for the wildlife. Down south these things(rattlers) are killed routinely were as here for the most part it seems like their is an appreciation of these awesome snakes.
 
manumuskin

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,686
2,609
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com
This article makes a common mistake that supposedly even snake savvy sources repeatedly make.Snakes are not poisonous,their venemous.The difference being poison is something you ingest or breathe that harms you,venom is injested directly into the blood stream.Mushrooms can be and arsenic is poisonous.Bee stings,spider bites,snakes bites are venemous.This same mistake is made repeatedly even on some nature documentaries.Thats how i know a person really knows their snakes if they know the difference.
By the way if i knew how to post pics I have a pic of me holding a live one the same size in the same fashion in tennessee.Your dad definitely knew how to hold a venemous snake even if the reporter thought they were poisonous:)
Al
 
Teegate

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
26,008
8,774
Al,

Send it to me and I will post it if you want. I can add it into your post.

Or I can email you instructions.

Guy
 
grendel

grendel

Explorer
Feb 24, 2006
561
2
Fredericksburg VA
dragoncjo said:
Thats a real cool article. One thing that amazes me about my pine barrens natives is the respect they have for the wildlife. Down south these things(rattlers) are killed routinely were as here for the most part it seems like their is an appreciation of these awesome snakes.
Click to expand...

Here in Virginia the sight of any snake will send the locals running for a hoe or shovel. These folks will wreck their cars to run over a snake. What a difference 200 miles makes.
 
manumuskin

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,686
2,609
60
millville nj
www.youtube.com



Please forgive the parial nudity.it was in the 90's and when handling hot herps caught on the road you have to work with what you find yourself with and i was driving barefooted and with shorts on.I had a local in a pickup stop with a wad of chew in his mouth and he was polite enough to inform me that the snake could conceivably kill me.The he informed me i could eat it(in other words i could also kill it)and then asked where I was from.Upon finding out nj he questioned the sanity of all nj residents and I informed him I was special and no not all nj residents were as insane as i was.After repeated suggestions on his part that I should kill it he drove off into the sunset and I released the snake a few feet off the road in thick brush.I caught another on in virgin falls pocket wilderness the next day but had no camera.My wife was down the mountain further with the camera and i couldn't negotiate the tricky descent holding a hot snake.
I entitle this picture "fat boy skips dinner".
Al
 
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