THE REPTILES OF OHIO 119 



In Ottawa County rattlers are found in or near the rocky cliffs along Lake 

 Erie, in caves and crevices in the limestone or in piles of rock assembled by 

 the clearing of fields and the preparation of real estate developments. Despite 

 the presence of large numbers of summer residents and picnickers in this area 

 the rattlesnakes appear able to maintain themselves although they have obvi- 

 ously decreased in numbers in recent years. They spend much of the day in 

 hiding and they forage at night. They are seldom seen in the open and it 

 is probable that the colony would have been exterminated years ago had it 

 not been for the abundance of hiding places in the rocks. 



In southern Ohio some timber rattlers were taken in the vicinity of rocky 

 cliffs, etc., but the favorite habitat appeared to be dry hillsides and hilltops 

 which are covered, for the most part, with deciduous trees. In small clearings 

 or "openings" in these woods huckleberries grow in abundance and rattle- 

 snakes are occasionally found coiled under or between the bushes. The idea 

 is prevalent among residents of parts of Scioto County that huckleberries and 

 rattlesnakes are inseparable and any inquiry made in the vicinity concerning 

 these snakes is apt to be answered by, "You have to wait 'til huckleberryin' 

 time to ketch rattlers!" 



No rattlesnake "dens" were discovered in the course of the field work and 

 it is doubtful if rattlers are common enough in the state to form "dens" of 

 any considerable size. 



Field notes indicate that almost all specimens were quiet and made little 

 attempt to bite or to rattle. Most crawled away when discovered but some 

 remained coiled in their original positions until they were caught. One of the 

 Catawba Island specimens was found in the early morning entering a rock 

 pile within 50 yards of a summer cottage. Another was discovered under a 

 large chunk of limestone not far from another cottage. Few specimens were 

 seen on the roads and these apparently were run over at night. Individuals 

 were collected from May to September inclusive. 



While the timber rattlesnake, because of its large size, is the most danger- 

 ous snake in Ohio, its rarity, secretiveness and disposition are factors which 

 tend to minimize its importance as an enemy of man. No records of persons 

 being bitten by timber rattlers in Ohio were obtained during the course of the 

 work although several cases of copperhead and massasauga bites are known. 



The food of the timber rattlesnake consists largely, if not exclusively, of 

 warm blooded prey. Surface (1906, 196-7) records such mammals as mice, 

 rats, shrews, squirrels, etc., as constituting 94/r of the food. In his diagram 

 of the food of this species he indicates the remaining 6% as being composed 

 of snakes but he fails to mention snakes in his itemized table. (Ditmars 

 (1936, 369) states that "the food of the Banded Rattlesnake consists of warm- 

 blooded prey in the shape of small rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice and birds." 

 Captives ate mice and sparrows. 



A female from Catawba Island, 41% inches in length, collected June 11, 

 1932, gave birth to 8 young September 15, 1932. These varied in length 

 from 9% to 9% inches. Another female from Put-in-Bay, 41% inches in 



