'In other words, we haven't taught everybody enough about these things - and there's still tons to know about it.' 'They are common questions, but they seem to never change,' he said of the phone calls, usually asking if the snake is dangerous. With 14 species of snakes in Western Massachusetts and only nine or 10 living in Berkshire County, Tyning said he is still amazed people remain ignorant about the local snake population. 'It became very obvious early on that most people are pretty ignorant about local snakes around here,' said the professor, who earned his master's degree at the University of Massachusetts studying rattlesnakes.Įvery year, about this time, the chorus of snake calls come in, locals asking Tyning to come out and identify the snake found under their front porch, or warming on a pile of rocks in their backyard. 'If you want to find a snake, you go out find rocks, logs, boards and you flip them over.'īut Tyning - a lover of the animals since he was in kindergarten, carrying snakes in his pocket to school - knows most county residents are happy to leave every stone unturned. Decline of an isolated timber rattlesnake ( Crotalus horridus) population: Interactions between climate change, disease, and loss of genetic diversity.'I mostly employ the bend-and-turn system,' said Tyning, a professor of environmental science at Berkshire Community College.Tree Removal Likely Improves Thermal Quality of Basking Sites for an Imperiled Timber Rattlesnake Population at the Northern Edge of its Range.Something Wild: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Rattlesnakes (New Hampshire Public Radio).Timber Rattlesnake Monitoring - PIT Tagging.Don't Be Rattled (May/June 2019 NH Wildlife Journal).They den communally and will use the same den site for generations.Ĭonservation Threats: Habitat loss and destruction, disease, gravel mining, mortality on roadways, illegal collection or killing of snakes by humans. Life History: Timber rattlesnakes give birth to live young in the fall before returning to the den to hibernate from November until May. Males may travel several miles from den sites during summer and return in the fall. During summer their habitat expands to brushy, forested areas where they often bask in sunspots. Deep rock crevices are used as den sites for hibernation. Rock ledges and outcroppings on hilltops are used for basking. Habitat: Rocky, south-facing hillsides in wooded areas that are exposed to an abundance of sunlight. At the end of the tail there is a large, blunt rattle.Ĭommonly Confused Species: Milk snake, northern water snake, black racer snake garter snake

Has a large triangular head and keeled scales giving them a rough appearance. Brown cross-bands arranged across the surface may be difficult to see. Currently there is only one known population in NH.ĭescription: A large, thick black snake measuring 36-60 inches. State Rank Status: Critically imperiled (S1)ĭistribution: Historically ranged from Massachusetts border up to the White Mountains. NH Conservation Status: State Endangered Wildlife Action Plan Species in Greatest Need of Conservation

Milksnake keeled