On our last
field trip to the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, we observed a timber rattlesnake
and its Latin name is Crotalus
horridus. The snake seemed to be a juvenile and was about 20 inches
long, which is much smaller than the typical adult timber rattlesnake size. It
is typically pretty difficult to determine the sex of a snake without handling
it because the cloaca is typically used to help determine the sex. The snake
was acting pretty docile and one of our classmates actually almost stepped on
it. Once it was seen, we all surrounded it and the snake still did not move. It
was curled up and it seemed to be in a basking position. The snake was lying in
a recently burned environment in what looked to be a long leaf pine ecosystem. The
snake was only a couple of yards off the dirt road and would be pretty easily
seen. After observing the snake, it was shocking to see how calm it was when surrounded by people. Also, it seemed kind of strange that the snake was in
such an open area in the middle of the day. It was pretty easily seen and could
definitely be seen by predators. As a whole, the snake seemed to be unfazed by
the attention from all the people.
5 comments:
It did slowly slither a few feet to a new position after we had dispersed, suggesting it likely sensed our presence (maybe via thermoreception) and waited to make its move until it was not surrounded.
I am so happy we got to see a Rattlesnake! It was very beautiful. Thank you for sharing and great picture.
It does look just like a cinnamon bun (with thanks to Heba for this observation)!
I cannot believe that Nick almost stepped on this little guy. I was so excited to see a rattlesnake, and let with a great amount of respect. They are so confident that they don't need to hide from predators that they will simply stay out in the open.
Because of their perfect camouflage its no surprise that one would look right over this little guy! Luckily my keen eyes for herps caught a glimpse of this individual. If the recent burn had not occurred, I don't think he would have ever been spotted! Amazing how well they have evolved with their environment.
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