Kentucky Snakes

A common “urbanlegend” that periodicallycirculatesthroughout portionsof the state is that fishand wildlife is stockingrattlesnakes. Someof the more colorfulaccounts includedropping them out ofairplanes. However,the state has neverstocked rattlesnakesin Kentucky.Rick Hill Illustrationsdiet with squirrels being a major prey item. An ambush predator,a snake will position itself along a rodent trail and wait motionlessfor its prey to appear. Timber rattlesnakes are a secretive, nonaggressivespecies. Their main defense is to lie motionless on theforest floor, relying on their color and pattern to camouflage themfrom predators. Females are 4-6 years old before they give birth.The young are born alive in late summer or early fall. A femalegives birth every other year, although, in more northern states femalesmay only give birth every third year. Timber rattlesnakes arelong-lived animals and may survive for up to 25 years in the wild.Timber rattlesnakes are undergoing severe population declinesthroughout their range. Kentucky is one of the few states with arelatively healthy population.11