On both sides of the river in our region, there are timber rattlesnakes that occupy suitable habitats. They are not common; for that reason, they are protected to some degree, depending on the state. The state of New York lists them as threatened. The state of PA de-listed them several years back, but they are a species of special concern.

The species had likely been feared and persecuted ever since the first settlers encountered it; anytime something is feared, rumors are generated and tales are told. One, which may be a couple of centuries old, is that when a rattlesnake wants to go somewhere fast, it will grab its tail and roll over the ground like a Hula hoop. Another tale is that a snake grows a rattle every year.  We’ll look at this one further into the column.

A few weeks ago, I was out with some people from East Stroudsburg University, conducting an ongoing population-monitoring program with the cooperation of the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PF&BC). A very large male rattlesnake—50 inches—was captured. 

Part of the study uses a microchip tag (PIT tag) to identify captured snakes. These are the same type of chips to identify your pet dog in case it gets lost. It was found that this large snake was tagged, but it was not the number sequence that was used in the study. When I got back home, I found that the PIT tag was included in a master list of PIT tag numbers for that particular site, and this snake had   a very interesting history.

This animal was first captured in July of 2010 by a person who had a permit from the PF&BC, and the snake was brought to the Noxen, PA Snake Roundup, where it was PIT tagged by PF&BC personnel. At the end of the roundup, the snake was brought back to the point of capture and released unharmed. This same male was captured again during the spring of 2018 as part of the ESU study, and once more during our current field trip.

The first time this snake was captured and tagged in 2010, it measured 45 inches in length. At 2018’s recapture, it measured 48 inches, and in the last capture of this spring, it was 50 inches. The time elapsed from the first capture till now is 12 years, and it may have taken four to five years for this male to grow to the 45” measured in 2010, so this timber rattlesnake may be 14 to 15 years of age at the moment.

The rattle segment count at this spring’s capture was 11, but several segments were broken off at the tip; this happens often from wear, mating battles, etc.; the segments, except the one closest to the snake’s body, are hard keratin or dead skin. One is formed every time the snake sheds its skin. The segments are attached, but loose enough to band together and make the rattle noise when the snake shakes its tail. A rattlesnake may shed two to three times a year, so a three-year-old snake may have anywhere from six to nine rattles. Rattles can be used for a rough estimation, but knowing the growth rate of snakes may be better.