● Venomous · Native to the United States

Timber rattlesnake

Crotalus horridus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Also called canebrake rattlesnake, velvet-tail
Data updated October 2026

Timber rattlesnake coiled on a rocky forest floor, showing dark V-shaped crossbands on a yellow-tan body and a black tail
Fig. 1 — Adult on a rocky hillside, showing the dark chevron crossbands and black tail.
Close view of a timber rattlesnake's unmarked head with a dark stripe behind the eye
Fig. 2 — The top of the head is plain, with a dark stripe running back from each eye.

At a glance

A heavy-bodied rattlesnake of eastern hardwood forests and rocky ridges. It is shy, relies on camouflage and usually rattles or retreats when disturbed. Slow to mature and slow to breed, it has vanished from parts of the Northeast.

01

Identification

A thick-bodied snake with dark crossbands over a yellow, tan, brown or gray body. Toward the front the markings are rounded blotches; toward the tail they become bands or V-shaped chevrons. Many have a rusty stripe down the middle of the back, and the tail is usually solid black, ending in a straw-colored rattle. Northern snakes are often darker, and some are almost entirely black. The scales are strongly keeled, giving the skin a rough look.

  1. 01Chevron bands and black tail. Dark V-shaped bands on the rear half of the body lead to a velvety black tail.
  2. 02Plain head with an eye stripe. The top of the broad, triangular head is unmarked; a dark line runs from each eye back to the corner of the jaw.
  3. 03Rattle and pit viper features. A rattle at the tail tip, a heat-sensing pit between eye and nostril, and vertical pupils. The rattle is not a sure sign: it can break off, and a startled snake may stay silent.

Commonly confused with

02

Size

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Typical adult · about 40 in (102 cm)

Most adults measure 36 to 60 inches (91–152 cm), and many average around 40 inches. The longest reported reached about 75 inches. Males have longer tails and tend to grow larger than females. Newborns are roughly 8 to 11 inches (20–28 cm) long.

03

Range & habitat

Timber rattlesnake basking on a sunlit rock ledge in a hardwood forest
Fig. 3 — Sunny rock ledges near winter dens are key habitat in spring and fall.

Timber rattlesnakes live in the eastern United States, from southern New Hampshire and the Champlain Valley south along the Appalachians to northern Florida, and west to eastern Texas and north along the Mississippi to Wisconsin. They are absent from Michigan, and populations that once lived in southern Maine and southeastern Ontario are believed to be gone. Upland snakes favor mature deciduous forest on rugged, rocky hillsides, often south- or west-facing slopes with ledges, bluffs and talus near streams. Oak, hickory and beech woods that produce nuts support the rodents they hunt. Coastal Plain populations, often called canebrake rattlesnakes, are the same species.

State guides: Texas · Florida

04

Diet & predators

Timber rattlesnakes are ambush hunters. A snake coils beside a log or along a rodent trail and waits, using smell and its heat-sensing pits to find warm-bodied prey, often at night. Mice, voles, shrews, chipmunks and squirrels make up most of the diet, with small rabbits and the occasional bird. After a large meal it rests in a sheltered spot while it digests.

Feeds on

  • Mice and voles
  • Chipmunks and squirrels
  • Shrews and small rabbits
  • Occasional birds

Preyed on by

  • Hawks and owls
  • Minks and skunks
  • Herons
  • Young snakes are most at risk
Eastern chipmunk sitting on a fallen log
Prey — chipmunks.
Red-tailed hawk perched on a branch
Predator — hawks.

05

Behavior & seasons

Timber rattlesnakes are shy. When approached they usually lie still and trust their camouflage; if pressed, they rattle as a warning or crawl away, and they bite mainly when harassed or handled. In spring and fall they bask on sunny ledges and bluffs. During hot summer weather they shift to activity at dusk and through the night. Each year males and non-pregnant females travel roughly 1 to 2.5 miles (1.6–4 km) from the den, then return to it in the fall.

They are active from about mid-April to October, leaving dens later in the north (mid-May in some areas). Winter is spent in rock crevices and ledges, often in communal dens shared with copperheads and rat snakes. They are very loyal to these dens and rarely colonize new ones. When are snakes active in Texas?

06

Reproduction

Timber rattlesnakes bear live young. Mating takes place mostly in summer and early fall, with some in spring. Pregnant females spend the summer near the den under sun-warmed “birthing rocks” and stop eating. Young are born from August to early October, usually 4 to 14 per litter, and the mother often stays with them for 7 to 10 days, until their first shed. Newborns then follow adults’ scent trails to find a den. Females may not breed until 7 to 10 years old and then only every third or fourth year in the north, so a female may produce just a few litters in her life.

07

Conservation

The timber rattlesnake is not federally listed, but it has disappeared from several states where it once lived and is uncommon or rare across much of its range. Most northeastern states protect it; Connecticut, for example, lists it as endangered, where it survives in about 10 towns. In much of the Southeast it has no legal protection. Past bounty hunting at dens, habitat fragmentation, road deaths, illegal collecting and killing are the main threats. Because the species matures late and breeds rarely, populations recover very slowly once breeding adults are lost.

08 — Bite safety

If someone is bitten

Timber rattlesnake bites are a medical emergency. Every bite needs medical care. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. For guidance, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. If a pet is bitten, take it to a veterinarian right away.

This page does not give first-aid or treatment instructions. Read our safety disclaimer.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages