Crotalus horridus

Neonate garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis, and brown snakes distinguish conspecific from heterospecific odors (Burghardt 1977, 1983). Newborn timber rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, are able to follow conspecific odor trails (Brown and MacLean, 1983). Neonate water snakes are attracted to conspecific odor (Scudder et ah, 1980) and neonate prairie rattlesnakes, Crotalus viridis, to lipoids from the epidermis of adult conspecifics (Graves etal., 1987). 

Timber rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, are ambush hunters. They assume the ambush posture after smelling prey odors. In the laboratory, these snakes recoil the front part of their body into the ambush posture after flicking their tongues... 

Brown, W. S. and MacLean, F. M. (1983). Conspecific scent-trailing by newborn timber rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus. Elerpetologica 39,430-436. 

Clark, R. W. 2004. Timber rattlesnakes [Crotalus horridus) use chemical cues to select ambush sites. Journal of ChemicalEcology 30,607-617. 

Crotalus Horridus Horridus Common Name(s) Timber... 

Crotalus Horridus Atricaudatus Common Name(s) Canebrake Rattlesnake... 

Platelet-aggregating factor found in the venom of the snake Crotalus horridus. 

Crotalus horridus Lab Juvenile Den location Natural Brown and MacLeaii 1983... 

It was originally reported that pheromone trails might guide rattlesnakes to their dens in the fall (Klauber, 1972). However, it now appears that only juveniles and yearlings use trails and that adults may rely on other orientation mechanisms. Brown and MacLean (1983) documented juvenile timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) following adult pheromone trails in the fall (Table 3), but King et al. (1983) found that adult prairie rattlesnakes ( viridis, would not trail conspecifics. Adult Crotalus apparently find dens by celestial cues (Landreth, 1973, Duvall et al., 1985) and... 

Table 3. Laboratory tests of trail-following in newborn Crotalus horridus conducted in a Y-maze. Probability values for control condition were calculated using a two-tailed binomial test and with a one-tailed binomial test for experimental conditions. Modified from Brown and MacLean, 1983,... 

Keenlyne, K. D., 1972, Sexual differences in feeding habits of Crotalus horridus horridus, J. Herpetol., 6 234. 

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