How to Track the SnakeTimber Rattlesnakes are active and can be found during both the day and the night. However, they spend most of their time hidden in ambush positions, waiting for prey. This can make them difficult to spot at times. They hibernate during cold weather in the winter. They become active again from early spring to late autumn.
The movement of Timber Rattlesnakes can be tracked with the use of radio telemetry. In this, snakes are implanted with tracking chips that can be found with locating devices. Their lack of movement while waiting for an ambush makes tracking these snakes easy. The males also always stay within a three mile radius of their den, so there is not a huge range that they can be in. Their dens are often built on southern facing slopes, which is usually where you can find them basking. |
Its Role in the EcosystemThe Timber Rattlesnake serves as both a predator and prey in its ecosystem. They mainly eat small mammals like mice, moles, rabbits, and squirrels. They also can eat amphibians, small other reptiles, and birds.
They are eaten by many larger predators. These include coyotes, foxes, wolves, birds of prey, and larger snakes. They are also hunted and killed by humans for sport or by accident. |