Quote:
Originally Posted by SAMIAM
Count me as a skeptic........I've got to see some proof before I can believe it. Could be a golden retriever or maybe an oversize Maine Coon. Same goes for rattlesnakes.
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Sorry but there IS a known population of Eastern Timber Rattlesnakes in NH. NH Fish and Game declines to say which town they are located in, although to many residents it is well known. However, I will say that the town is NOT in the Lakes Region.
The species is currently listed with NH Fish and Game as endangered, here is a link:
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wild...attlesnake.htm
Also from:
http://www.timberrattlesnake.net/
The Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) - although venomous it is a shy snake that will seek a safe retreat when encountered. It preys upon rodents and birds, baby snakes may also include amphibians in their diet. This serpent is venomous to disable its prey, this type of protection would do the snake little good after it has been trampled by a hoofed animal. The use of a rattle can be startling and may spook or intimidate creatures that threaten it. Males are larger growing with a maximum size just over 50". The have a low reproductive rate and it may take a minimum of eight years for a female to mature. Live birth litters often number less than ten and the babies are extremely vulnerable to predation and winter kills. Rattlesnakes are extremely vulnerable in the North where they communally den, they are vulnerable to direct death when a den has been located by snake hunters. They will often lay motionless depending on their camouflage to protect them from predators, this behavior leaves them incredibly vulnerable to human harm.
The Timber has been exterminated from most of its former haunts, Maine, Quebec and Rhode Island no longer have ANY. New Hampshire is close to having NONE, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut have lost many of their former dens and the snakes are now protected. The last strongholds are New York and Pennsylvania with much of their former populations already lost. They need ALL of the protection that they can get before the last dens are gone. These snakes rely on a denning area where they spend late fall, winter and spring underground in this unique niche. The den provides deep cracks where the animal can hibernate during the cold periods without freezing. In the Spring they emerge are set out in search of food and basking. Timbers may travel distances of 3 miles during their active period, this is the time they are often encountered and killed. Often these snakes are creatures of habit and find their previous haunts developed and may find themselves confused and vulnerable to destruction. People often love to tell a great tale how they saved the community from the supposed dangerous venomous serpent. Killing this snake is now ILLEGAL and they are PROTECTED due to their rare status. The logic of killing one of these snakes is about as reasonable for you to go out and destroy every knife and fork in your community due to the potential danger they hold. Having and open mind, appreciating nature and the animals we share this world with is our only hope at protecting this species! These animals have gained a reputation that is completely false, they just want to be left alone. In the fall the adults return to the denning area waiting for the cooler weather to drive them down into the den. Any pregnant females will give birth to live babies during this period, these babies will remain in the vicinity of the den. Babies depend on following the pheromone trails left by the adult animals to locate the actual den crevices.