Don’t be rattled by Crotalus horridus

Last week, I encountered a black phase rattlesnake silently crossing a dirt road in Pike County, PA. The last time I came upon a rattlesnake in the wild was more than 20 years ago. Neither snake threatened me or my dog in any way. Nor did we threaten them, and all of us continued along our paths unharmed.

Victim of many fear-based myths, the timber rattlesnake has been haunted by misinformation and hunted to its current classification by the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) as a Candidate Species. “It is not yet on the Endangered Species list, but it certainly could end up there,” said agency spokesman, Dan Tredinnick.

The state of New York classifies timber rattlesnakes as threatened and allows no harvesting. “Rattlesnake roundups,” events where rattlesnakes are collected, displayed and handled for public observation, are still considered legal in Pennsylvania, but according to Tredinnick, fewer than a dozen such events take place each year.

Poconos naturalist John Serrao says of timber rattlesnakes, “They’re an unbelievably specialized, highly evolved animal with the ability to strike at a fraction of a second with superb accuracy, and find their prey by following its scent trail—all in pitch-black darkness. Their rattle protects them and it protects us. They’re absolutely thrilling. In all my work with them, never has one tried to strike me.”

Herpetologist Dr. Art Hulse points out, “If you’re lucky enough to see a rattlesnake in the wild, cherish the moment. They pose no threat whatsoever if they’re treated with respect.”

For more information visit dec.ny.gov/animals/7147.html or fish.state.pa.us/amp_rep.htm.