Gianna Pope, Dogwood Hill School
Bergen County
Timber Rattlesnake. Bergen County Gianna Pope
Timber Rattlesnake
Hello my name is Timber, and I am a rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus. I live in lowland forests and thickets in Sussex, Passaic, Morris, Bergen and Warren counties in the state of New Jersey. During winter, I go under the frost line in rocky hills. I have grown to an impressive size of 40 inches and 2 pounds. What a sssnake!
My colors are so much more than just spectacular when the sun hits my radiant scales. My camouflage, the manner in which I blend in with my surroundings, is important because predators and prey won’t be able to find me easily. No rodent may escape my keen heat sensors, sense of smell through my tongue, and relentless patience. Mice, rats, birds, moles, rabbits, frogs, bats, insects, and even carrion comprise my main diet Yum!
My mom didn’t lay eggs, but held us close inside for six months until my brothers, sisters, and I were ready to hatch! I was one of only five but I could have had up to 19 other siblings. Perhaps this is another reason for my endangered status. However, I am also hunted for reptile collections, my gorgeous skin, and purely for entertainment! As if this weren’t enough, my habitat is being rapidly demolished.
I am very important to the food chain. Without my friends, family and I to control rodent populations, they would turn a whole region upside down as their populations soared! Rodents can get into our food sources and leave waste behind. This could cause people to become susceptible to diseases such as Leptospirosis and result in epidemics. They will chew buildings and other structures. Crops would be destroyed. Can you imagine our world without my sssupport?
Help me by telling others of the good I do for our world. Thank you friendsss!
Written by:
Gianna Pope
Dogwood Hill School, Oakland
Teacher: Ms. Civitarese