FACTS | Timber rattlers

Facts about timber rattlesnakes:
One of Pennsylvania's three venomous snake species, along with northern copperheads and eastern massasauga rattlesnakes. The massasauga is on the state's endangered list and may not be hunted.
Scientific name: Crotalus horridus.
Despite their fearsome reputation, they generally strike only when provoked. In about one-third of strikes, no venom is injected and there has not been a fatality attributable to a rattlesnake bite in Pennsylvania in more than 25 years.
They can grow to about six feet, but the average male is 43 inches and the average female is 36 inches. They can be colored tan and yellow or black and gray and can live up to 30 years.
Their habitat is mostly along the northern and central areas of the state. They prefer rocky areas of forests and feed on prey such as mice and chipmunks.
Sources: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Keystone Reptile Club,
Associated Press
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.