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All black Timber Rattlesnake! 

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Massive rock structures with open areas to bask.

 A perfect rock slide where Timbers may have once denned. An entire population will live in this slide leaving themselves vulnerable to human decimation if discovered.

Rattlesnakes are most often encountered on or near Southerly rocky ledge where the animals bask absorbing warmth from the suns rays.


Rattlesnakes like deep crevices with open tree canopy for basking and plenty of rock.

 Timbers may bask on rock outcroppings like this.

Ledge for Rattlesnake denning. Mountains, hills, rock bluffs, elevated ledge and or rock areas.

On a rocky sun exposed ledge, rock slides, mountains, outcroppings or hills. Rockslides provide basking, food and safety for Rattlesnakes.

 

Citations:

TimberCriteria

http://www.timberrattlesnake.net/

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Rattlesnakes are distinct in having a specialized structure at the end of their tail (the rattle) that consists of loosely connected, cornified segments that produce a buzzing sound when the tail is vibrated.

 

See More: http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/rattlesn.html

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Hahn 1

Stephanie Hahn

 

Environmental Seminar

 

Professor Diba Khan-Bureau

 

Date of Speaker: Wednesday April 23, 2014

 

Hank Gruner

 

Timber Rattlesnakes

 

        “The Rattlesnake being peculiar to this country, is the finest emblem of the United

 

States that can be found. It never acts but defensively; it never strikes without giving a

 

fair warning, and when it does strike, it is fatal! (Atkinson)” Hank Gruner was an

 

absolute pleasure to listen to in class! In this seminar, we learned about the historical

 

changes of the Timber Rattlesnake in New England. The Timber Rattlesnake is of special

 

concern and are now listed as endangered species in Connecticut. The little amount of

 

Timber Rattlesnakes that last now are likely to become extinct. The Timber Rattlesnake

 

population has declined mostly due to illegal collection and from habitat loss. Land

 

development is a big contributor to the decline of their population, as well as road

 

mortality, incidental kill, or in rarer cases snake fungal disease.  This seminar didn’t only

 

focus on snakes, we also got the chance to learn a little bit about our speaker. In 2007,

 

Hank Gruner joined the Connecticut Science center as the vice president of Programs

 

and Exhibits. He began his career as a Wildlife Research Assistant with Connecticut's

 

Department of Environmental Protection before entering the field of informal science

 

education as an Environmental Scientist at the Children’s Museum Roaring Brook

 

Nature Center. Throughout Hank’s career, he has continually been involved in

 

conservation policy, planning, environmental organizations of the conservation of

 

biodiversity, etc. He is considered a leading expert in New England on amphibians and

 

reptiles and is a herpetologist. Hank Gruner graduated from the University of

 

Connecticut with a Bachelors of Science degree in Natural Resources Management.

 

Because the Timber Rattlesnake is of special concern not only in Connecticut but

 

throughout New England, in fact throughout the Northeast and the Southeastern

 

United States is of significant conservation concern, there is no surprise that Hank

 

Gruner is involved with educating others about the severity Timber Rattlesnakes are in.

 

        The Timber Rattlesnake is a large and venomous snake. It measures to be about

 

on average 38 to 43 inches, with males being slightly larger than the females. The      

 

dorsalscales are keeled,the head is broad and is noticeably wider than the neck of the

 

snake.There are a few phases of the Timber Rattlesnake that range anywhere from a

 

grey,mustard yellow, or black.  “A series of dark bands, often outlined in white or light

 

yellow, traverse the body. The banding in “black color morphs” may be indistinct.

 

Occasionally, individuals will have a light rust stripe running along the dorsum, or dark

 

brown spots that tend to become bands toward the tail. The tail itself is often

 

completely dark brown or black with no banding (Gruner)”. Some of the Timber

 

Rattlesnakes are completely black from the head to the tail of the snake. At the end of

 

the Timber Rattlesnake is the rattle, which is very distinct compared to other

 

Connecticut snake rattles. The eyes of the Timber Rattlesnake are very much like cats

 

eyes because of their slit like elliptical pupils. The female rattlesnake is extremely

 

important, they reproduce every three years and does not reach sex maturity until 7-

 

13 years of age. Timber Rattlesnakes habitat includes mixed forests with rocky ledges,

 

you can typically find them, if you are lucky, on a rocky sun exposed ledge, rock slides,

 

on a mountain, or on a rocky hill. They are snakes that congregate, which means

 

they’ll use a particular den year after year.

 

        The status of Timber Rattlesnakes is not very good. They are at least protected by

 

Connecticut’s endangered and threatened species legislation, however, they are listed

 

as endangered, threatened or of special concern in many states throughout New

 

England. They are considered an endangered species in Connecticut and are headed

 

towards extinction. Their decline in population is directly resulted from indiscriminate

 

killing, illegal collection, and habitat loss due to land development. Timber Rattlesnakes

 

“were probably very widespread in colonial times, as evidenced by the many land

 

features named "rattlesnake." In the past, some Connecticut towns had bounties on

 

rattlesnakes, and many of the dens were repeatedly decimated. Once documented in

 

over 20 towns in Connecticut, this snake is now limited to isolated populations in 10

 

towns”(Gruner). It is unfortunate that they are on the verge of becoming extinct, and

 

because their home range is around 103-511 acres (which is a lot more compared to

 

the copperhead) they can encounter many busy roadways while they are venturing

 

throughout their range. Accidental road kills are very common, and so are road kills

 

that are done purposely. People fear snakes because they are venomous, but the

 

likelihood of the Timber Rattlesnake striking is very rare. Timber Rattlesnakes are shy

 

and usually just want to be left alone. Their venom is used to immobilize their prey

 

such as  small mammals, birds, frogs, or even other snakes such as garter snakes. If

 

they feel threatened they will give you a fair warning by shaking their rattle. They are

 

not territorial nor are they aggressive. They are an amazing creature, and it is

 

absolutely devastating to see the decline of Timber Rattlesnakes over the years.

 

        Timber Rattlesnakes age of sex maturity is a lot older compared to a popular snake

 

in New England, the Northern Copperhead. The female Timber Rattlesnake is extremely

 

important because they don’t reproduce for a three year cycle, vs the copperhead that

 

reproduces every two years and sexually matures much earlier than the Timber

 

Rattlesnake. The Northern Copperhead also has a smaller home range, so they are not

 

faced with as much of a risk running into predators and land development as Timber

 

Rattlesnakes are. Point being, other snakes have more of an advantage than Timber

 

Rattlesnakes do. Timber Rattlesnakes live very long, but land development and

 

poacher’s are life threatening for these rattlesnakes. It is important to try and keep

 

Timber Rattlesnakes far away from land development such as roadways, back yards,

 

etc. By removing typical hiding places for snakes in your yard, like bushes or rocks, and

 

keeping your grass cut really short are some tips that can keep Timber Rattlesnakes

 

away. Hank Gruner is an excellent speaker, and i’m really glad he educated the class on

 

Timber Rattlesnakes. It is such a shame to see they are on the verge of extinction

 

because of human impacts, I hope Hank Gruner continues to give these seminars so

 

that the public can be educated on why it is important to protect the Timber

 

Rattlesnake.





Citations

 

(Atkinson) http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/64888564/

 

(Bio) http://www.hartford.edu/enhp/news/news_2013/gruner.aspx

 

(Gruner) http://peabody.yale.edu/collections/vertebrate-zoology/herpetology/timber-rattlesnake

 

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Interesting Facts: As a member of the "pit viper" family, the timber rattlesnake has facial pits located on each side of its head between the eye and nostril. These pits are sensitive to radiant heat and help the snake detect warm-blooded prey in the darkness. Non-venomous snakes do not have these heat-sensitive pits.

Snakes have poor eyesight; their vision is limited to detecting motion at short distances. Their sense of smell is highly developed. Snakes flick their modified forked tongue in the air, collecting scent particles. They have no ears but can detect vibrations in the ground to determine the size of passing animals, the animals’ direction and distance from the snake. The rattle is an important warning device. Black rat snakes, milk snakes and others mimic a rattling noise by vibrating their tail in dry leaves.

Rattlesnakes have 2 hollow fangs, which are connected to a venom gland and located in the front of the mouth. They are shed periodically and replaced. The primary purpose of venom is to immobilize prey and to aid in digestion. Venom in snakes is not a defensive adaptation. Defensive bites may carry only a fraction of the venom injected in prey.

During the winter months, groups of timber rattlesnakes hibernate together underground in dens in rocky ledges. Many other species of snakes may hibernate in the same den. In mid-April, the rattlesnakes emerge from their dens to bask on the ledges during the day. In May and June, the snakes begin to migrate in a pattern which, by fall, will bring them back to the den. Breeding can occur only in the spring and fall when the males and receptive females are in the same area. The snakes probably travel between 1.3 and 2.5 miles from the den during this seasonal cycle.

In Connecticut, rattlesnake bites are rare. If a bite occurs, medical attention should be sought as soon as possible. The victim should remain calm; an increased heart rate will speed up the spread of venom. The traditional snake bite treatment of a tourniquet and sucking out of the venom is not recommended.

Timber rattlesnakes are secretive by nature. They usually detect approaching humans and move away to hide. If a sleeping rattlesnake is encountered, it may recoil into a defensive posture and rattle. When this situation occurs, the best solution is to back away slowly. Snake vision is designed to detect motion; quick movements may further agitate the snake.

AAll Information is from: http://www.ct.gov/dEEP/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=326068&deepNav_GID=1655

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