reptile
Timber rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus
VenomousNot foodrare
Rare on these ridges now, still possible in rough Ohio River hills. Rattle, chevron bands, black tail.
A large pit viper. Yellowish or dark phase with jagged dark chevrons and a velvet-black tail ending in a rattle. Heavy body.
- Habitat
- Remote rocky timber, not town lots.
- Season
- May–September.
- Size
- 36–54 in
- Field marks
- Rattle; chevrons; black tail
First aid
Same as copperhead: ER, stillness, no cutting or tourniquet. A timber bite is a higher-priority emergency.