| CANEBRAKE RATTLESNAKE |
| Crotalus horridus |
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Range:
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They have a wide distribution throughout eastern United States, but they are absent from most of Florida. |
 Canebrake Rattlesnakes are large, venomous snakes. They are pinkish to light tan with dark-brown to black blotches and chevrons, with a marked stripe down the back and a stripe from the eye to the jaw. |
| Habitat: |
This snake occurs in a wide variety of terrestrial habitat including lowland cane thickets, high areas around swamps and river floodplains, hardwood and pine forests, mountainous areas, and rural habitats in farming areas. |
| Diet: |
Small mammals - squirrels and rabbits mainly. It also will occasionally eat frogs and birds. |
| Status: |
Fairly common, and not protected in the South. Their numbers are steadily in decline however, due to habitat loss and human activities. In the North they are protected in some states due to rapid decline. |
| Approximate Dimensions of Adult: |
Length: 36 - 60 in. (90 - 152 cm).
Weight: Around 3 kg (5 lb.). |
| Lifespan: |
10 - 15 years. |
| Reproduction & Offspring: |
Females usually do not reach maturity until at least 5 years old and typically wait at least 2 or 3 years between litters. The live young are born in late summer or early fall around the time that courtship and mating occurs. Large male canebrake rattlesnakes are often seen in late summer or early fall searching for mates. |
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