Timber Rattlesnake, Canebrake Rattlesnake Crotalus horridus

This youngster was maybe only 16 inches long or so.

In the coastal plain, this species is often called a Canebrake Rattlesnake.

Another youngster, less than 2 feet long.

Close-up shot showing vertical pupils and "pits" between eye and mouth. This makes it one of the "pit vipers". The pits are specialized organs enabling the snake to detect heat since they prey mostly on small, warm-blooded mammals such as rats and mice.

This youngster has only a couple rattles.

Harry LeGrand and I found this bad boy (girl?) in the middle of the road near Lake Phelps in Pettigrew State Park while conducting a butterfly survey. It was approximately 4 to 5 feet long. Recent studies suggest that Timber Rattlesnakes and Canebrake Rattlesnakes are taxonomically the same, i.e. they are not separate subspecies as was previously believed.

This snake saw me before I saw it and started rattling when I stepped about 3 feet from it. It then immediately retreated down into this hiding spot, where we could see only a couple of coils of its body.