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Police received a pair of reports over the weekend from residents who found Timber Rattlesnakes slithering around their residences.
Ramao Police said that the first call came from a home in the Ladentown neighborhood, when a snake was spotted near a resident’s pool. Responding officers said that it apparently “molted prior to lounging in the sun.”
According to police, the second snake was found in the front walkway of a residence in Sloatsburg. Officials said that both snakes were able to be safely relocated and have since been relocated to a “more suitable, less populated area.”
The Timber Rattlesnake, which is also known as canebrake rattlesnake or banded rattlesnake, is traditionally found in southern New Hampshire and Minnesota.
“Timber rattlesnakes are found in lowland cane thickets, deciduous forests in rugged terrain, high areas around swamps and river floodplains, mountainous areas, pine and hardwood forests and also in rural habitats in farming areas,” according to officials. “Their numbers are typically lower in the highly urbanized or housing development areas.”
Officials noted that the “timber rattlesnake has a brown or yellowish to a grayish body, but some individuals are very dark, almost a solid black.”
“They often also present a rust-colored stripe along the length of their back. Even with their large size, their cryptic coloration is able to conceal them both from prey and predators.
“ The dorsal scales of the snake are keeled. The species has yellow eyes with elliptical or cat-like pupils. The timber rattlesnake will typically shed its skin twice a year with another segment being added to the rattle after each shed.
“Like all rattlesnakes when they feel threatened or are harassed they will vibrate their tail causing the loosely connected segments to make the distinct rattling sound. Their lifespan may be anywhere from 16 to 22 years in the wild."
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