VenomousNot food
Timber rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus
Rare on these ridges now, still possible in rough Ohio River hills. Rattle, chevron bands, black tail.
- Marks
- Rattle; chevrons; black tail
- Size
- 36–54 in
- Habitat
- Remote rocky timber, not town lots.
- Season
- May–September.
- Frequency
- rare
A large pit viper. Yellowish or dark phase with jagged dark chevrons and a velvet-black tail ending in a rattle. Heavy body.
If this is the one
Same as copperhead: ER, stillness, no cutting or tourniquet. A timber bite is a higher-priority emergency.
Lookalikes
Eastern ratsnake
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
Black climber. Eats rats and eggs. Harmless, often in barns and rafters.
Low riskNot food