Robert

= __The Timber Rattlesnake http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/Pictures/Timber_Rattle_Snake_09_13_03.jpg __ =

Common name: Timber Rattlesnake Scientific name: //Crotalus horridus// Source: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/timberrattlesnake/ Natural habitat: the Timber Rattlesnake primarily lives in dens under the frost line. these dens are made near rock fissurs surrounded by dense forest. the forest being biotic and the dens/rocks being abiotic. Niche: the timber rattle snake usually lives on a diet of small mammals and amphibions such as mice and frogs. the adult size is usually between 3 and 4 feet tall with a wide body. to survive the cold winters it creates burrows underneath the frost line. it tipically prays on animals low on the food chain that eat insects and grasses. the only known predator that kills these snakes is humans. males are usually fertile within 5 years and females in 7-8. they end to only have offspring every 3-5 years but they have between 4 and 14. these snakes tend to be active between April and October although in more northern weather they may not emerge until mid May. the timber rattlesnake tends to be a solitary animal but it has been known to stay in large groups in the dens during the winter. Why is this animal endangered?: due to unregulated collecting and indescriminent killing the population has dwindled in the New Hampshire area. because of the minimal breeding that happens with these snakes, fixing the decreece in population would take a long time. Population size: the snake is still quite common in many states but has become endangered in New York and New Hampshire. Conservation efforts: currently the only conservation efforts are making it illegal to catch or kill this animal in NH and NY. the efforts have stopped the drastic drop in the population, but it may be many years before the species begins to bounce back. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7147.html