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| A view from the Skyline Trail in Blue Hills Reservation. |
Given the fact that
there were probably a hundred other hikers on the trail to Buck Hill that day, there
wasn’t any cause for concern. Snakes don’t gravitate toward well-trafficked
areas. But it got me thinking that I should educate myself more thoroughly on
the matter. To put it mildly, I’m not fond of snakes. It would be better to
know what to expect than to ruin a hike by imagining them lurking around every
corner!
We typically
associate rattlesnakes with the desert, and do not expect to encounter them
close to home. However about 200 timber rattlesnakes currently reside in
Massachusetts. Most often they inhabit wooded mountainous areas with steep rocky
ledges and ample populations of rodents . . . although they are sometimes found
in fields and wetlands too. Populations in our state are concentrated in the
Berkshires, the Connecticut River Valley and the Blue Hills. Nationwide, they
make their home throughout much of the eastern US, as far west as central Texas
in the south, and to Wisconsin in the north. While they are abundant in the
southern Appalachians, here in the northeast, populations are quite small.
The timber
rattlesnake hibernates for the colder half of the year, but becomes active in
Massachusetts around the middle of April. After emerging from the underground
crevices in which is spends the winter, it makes its way onto rock ledges where
it can bask in the sun to keep warm. (Like many snakes, the timber rattler is
ectothermic, meaning it cannot regulate its own body temperature.) In the
spring, activity is minimal, although some mating does occur. After mating, the
snakes move away from the den -- males to dense forest, where the hunting is
good; females to fields and less-dense forest, where temperatures are warmer.
Baby snakes are born alive after about 4-5 months. They all return to the den
in September or October, depending on the weather. The average life span for a
timber rattlesnake is 10-15 years.
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| A brown Timber Rattlesnake. (Photo credit Anne Stengle/Mass Wildlife) |
The standard
description of a timber rattlesnake includes the phrase “pit viper,” which
sends chills up my spine. If you’re imagining a teeming pit of angry, venomous
snakes (as I first did), please take my hand and we’ll back away from that
erroneous image together. A timber rattlesnake is large – three to five feet in
adulthood, 8-16 inches a birth, with a broad triangular head and rough-looking
scales. It can range in color from black or brown to rust or dark yellow. The
underside is light in color, sometimes with dark flecks. It has bands across
its back and sides, but none on its head or face. Its tail is solid black, with
a rattling structure at its end that grows with each successive shedding of
skin, but is sometimes lost in that same process. The term “pit viper” refers
to the pits on either side of its head – super-sensitive nerve endings that can
detect radiant heat.
Timber rattlesnakes
don’t eat people. Not even small ones! They prefer mice, chipmunks and other
warm-blooded rodents, plus sometimes birds, bugs and amphibians. They hunt by
day in the spring and fall, but become nocturnal in the summer, when their prey
becomes more active at night. Here the sensory pits are especially useful –
they help the snake to detect warm-blooded prey in the dark. Timber
rattlesnakes see pretty well, especially when an object is moving, but they can
also track prey via its scent, or by sensing vibrations in the ground.
A timber rattlesnake
has two large fangs at he front of its mouth, plus a number of smaller teeth
along its jaw. The fangs, which fold back onto the roof of the snake’s mouth
and are covered by a sheath when the jaw is closed, are conduits for venom.
Hunting consists primarily of lying motionless – watching and waiting -- with
intervals of prowling. Attacking prey comes first. Injecting venom, the volume
of which the snake can control, is a secondary measure.
When it comes to
humans, a timber rattlesnake will strike and bite only as a last resort. When
disturbed or threatened, it will rattle its tail, which should be enough to
send most people packing. The timber rattlesnake prefers to be left alone, and
will back away from a human if possible. It will probably fight back if
touched, though. It’s helpful to know that the last reported fatality from a
timber rattlesnake bite in Massachusetts was in 1791.
Due to declining
populations, the timber rattlesnake is now an Endangered Species in
Massachusetts. Its habitat has been diminished over the years, and a lot of
lives have been lost through ill-fated road crossings. Just as much of a
threat, however, is hunting. Whether it’s snake collectors, or people who come
upon a snake and kill it out of fear, timber rattlesnake numbers have been
greatly reduced in the past 25 years.
You may have heard
recent news reports about a statewide effort to protect timber rattlesnakes.
They would be captured in the wild as newborns, raised in captivity (at the
Roger Williams Zoo) and then released to their birth area when they are old enough
to fend for themselves. (This would amount to no more than ten snakes released
per year.) Nothing controversial, until the release plan changed and there was
talk about designating Mt. Zion, a 1400-acre island in the Quabbin Reservoir
without human access, as their new home. “Rattlesnake Island” sounds like a
horror movie, so there was a fair amount of public outcry. The issue remains
undecided.
Sources:
by Kezia Bacon
April 2016
Kezia Bacon's articles
appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local
non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance
and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For
membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at
(781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 20 years of Nature (Human and
Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
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