Canebrake rattlesnake

[Ozzy]

While I was still in Charlotte NC Saturday, I got a call from my mom telling me that she wanted me to go by her house because while she was having the field behind her house bushhogged a Rattlesnake was killed by the bushhog and she wanted me to tell her what kind it was.
I got to her house about 6 hrs later.
She showed me where the snake was. It was a 4 to 5 ft canebrake rattlesnake.
Here are the pics.

 

[TheAlphaWolf]

eeeh.... bushhog? what the heck is that?
canebrake- aka timber rattlesnake?
that's big!
I went to a park today and saw a... crayfish water snake? or.. yellow belly water snake? I dunno... it was pretty darn big though. I'd say about 5 feet.
I'll ID it later.

 

[Ozzy]

The Canebrake is a subspecies of the timber. Of course that is debatable.
The Canebrake has a yellow stripe down the back, and they tend to have more black coloration.

A bush hog is like a giant lawn mower that is pulled behind a tractor.

 

[Bugweed]

Alpha, the canebrake ratttlesnake is considered a seperate species from the timber rattlesnake. A subspecies maybe, if I remember correctly. The timber rattlesnakes I used to catch years ago, were heavier bodied than the canebrake, but the canebrake was just as mean and deadly. A bush hog clears heavy brush from all sorts of places, and used to be used at Yellow River, Florida to clear power line right of ways. Pitcher plants were cut down too, but always came back. Then some genius went with a brush killing liquid, and bye-bye CP and everything else. Left some snakes behind though.
The ones that didn't get chopped up.

 

[Ozzy]

Quote[/b] ]The timber rattlesnakes I used to catch years ago, were heavier bodied than the canebrake

This dude might disagree with you Bugman.

 

[Bugweed]

HellzBellz, Ozzy!! The rattlers I used to see and catch in North Carolina were averaging about 4 and 5 feet, and were not as big as that!!!!! I am hoping that is an exception, and not the rule!!!! WOTTA MONSTER!!!!!!! By all means, disagree with me. I have never seen one that large. Timber rattlers yes, but canebrakes, NO!

 

[Ozzy]

Hey, you're the snake expert, not me. I just saw that pic and thought you'd like it.

 

[PlantAKiss]

That is a BIG snake...and that man is BAREFOOTED!

 

[rattler]

lol to make things more interesting that guy with the big rattler is an Aussie and used to dealing with snakes a heck of alot faster and grumpier than that chubby guy.

the last info i saw on canebreaks and timbers is that they are one in the same. just coloration differences within the species. IIRC there was a DNA study done. course its all just ppl catagorizing things and most rattler nuts keep them as distict snakes. on a similar note ask most dart frog nuts about azureus and tincs, most all will say they are the same species but all most no one wants to classify them as such for various reasons. its kinda strange if you ask me.