Size—Throughout its range this snake has an average length of from three and a half to four feet, but a specimen six feet long is on record.
Young—The number in a brood varies from three to 12. Length of the newborn is eight or nine inches.
Distribution—The timber rattlesnake prefers rocky hills and mountains that are not too heavily wooded, but it sometimes inhabits bogs and swamps at lower elevations. In either situation, it seldom survives for long in areas heavily populated by man. In common with most other rattlesnakes, it seeks escape when approached by man and fights only when surprised or cornered. Known in northeastern Texas, it is reported from Cooke, Denton, Eastland, Grayson, Lamar, Red River, Taylor, and Wise Counties.
Like the prairie rattler, it often seeks the same denning areas year after year and congregates in numbers to hibernate for the winter.
CANEBRAKE RATTLESNAKE
Crotalus horridus atricaudatus
Description—This is a large and heavily built snake with a brown or tan back marked by a series of wide, dark, chevron shaped crossbands. It may be distinguished from the similar timber rattlesnake by its larger size, its more vivid markings, and the presence of a dark stripe from the eye to the angle of its mouth. Generally, a narrow, reddish-brown stripe extends down the middle of the back. Its tail, as in some other rattlesnakes, is entirely black.
Size—In Texas this snake reaches a length of about six feet, while in nearby Louisiana exceptionally large specimens, some nearly seven feet long, have been found. Length averages four and a half feet.
Young—About eight or ten are born in a brood.