Common name: timber rattlesnake
Scientific name: Crotalus horridus
How to identify them
Wisconsin has two species of rattlesnake, the massasauga and the timber rattlesnake. The timber rattlesnake is the larger of the two. It is heavy-bodied and varies in background color from yellow to rust-orange to brown or gray. It is marked with dark brown to black bands. The timber rattlesnake has a solid light gold head, while the tail is black and capped by a tan rattle.
Where they live
These snakes live among the rugged open bluffs of southwestern and western Wisconsin. In the summer some timber rattlers move into deciduous forests and croplands.
What they eat
They eat a variety of rodents.
Did you know?
This species doesn't rank high on many people's favorite animal list. Fear and misunderstanding has resulted in many timber rattlesnakes being killed. Timber rattlesnakes are a Special Concern species and a protected Wild Animal.
Take a virtual hike
Join Into the Outdoors' Patsy and Bob Hay, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources researcher, as he talks about and captures a timber rattlesnake.