Paul, We have timber rattlesnakes and copperheads associated with several mountain chains in western MA but I have never heard of massassagua rattlers in MA. Most if the dens have been cleared so both snakes are very uncommon and on the endangered species list.
Gary Prof. Gary A. Beluzo Systems Ecologist Holyoke Comm College 303 Homestead Ave Holyoke, MA. 01040 On Aug 13, 2009, at 3:29 PM, Paul Jost <[email protected]> wrote: > Jenny, > > We have timber rattlesnakes and massasauga rattlesnakes here in > Wisconsin, states to the west and south, and all the way east to New > York state and into New England! The most visible snakes in > Wisconsin are garter snakes, but the most common seems to be the > smaller northern red-bellied snake. I rarely see some other > species, too. > > PJ > > > On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 1:44 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > That's pretty cool info. What do we have up north besides gentle > garter snakes? (and Madoff...) > Jenny > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jess Riddle <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thu, Aug 13, 2009 12:38 pm > Subject: [ENTS] Venomous snakes in north Georgia > > > Ents, > > The snake pictures amongst the Cohutta photos seem to have generated > some interest, so I'll add a little more context for them. When I > used to average four days a week hiking in the southern Appalachians, > I would typically see only one or two venomous snakes per year. The > two I saw on this past trip matches my record for a one week period. > Of course, who knows how many I've walked past in huckleberry > thickets. > > In my experience, the venomous snakes in the Appalachians are not > aggressive. If you don't mess with them, they won't mess with you. > The timber rattlesnake in the photograph never rattled even with five > people and a dog walking past it. I've stepped within a foot of > rattlesnake without it moving and seen people step as close to > copperheads without provoking a reaction. I'm sure there is some > variation from individual to individual, and I've certainly irritated > some rattlesnakes, so I didn't push my luck with the photographs and > used my camera's zoom from about five feet away. > > Venom is energetically expensive to produce and has a high opportunity > cost in terms of catching prey. Hence, relying on camouflage (see > copperhead photo), rattling, or dry biting improves snakes' chances of > long term survival and reproduction. > > Jess > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
