*The colored areas of the map above represent parishes with currently known records for the given species (Source: Jeff Boundy, LA Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries). By no means does it represent the full range of the species in the state, nor does it necessarily mean that a species can be found throughout the parish with the record. This is provided as a guide to where you might be able to find these species in the state and to aid in identification. A descriptive explanation of the range of each species can be found in the text below.
Other Common Names: Canebrake
Subspecies: No subspecies recognized.
Description:
Similar Species:
Species Range:
Louisiana Range: Statewide, but uncommon in southwest Louisiana.
Habitat:
Natural History:
Best Time and Place to Observe:
Global Conservation Status: Timber Rattlesnakes are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Their NatureServe Global Conservation Status Rank is G4 (Apparently Secure).
Federal Conservation Status: None
Louisiana Conservation Status: Timber Rattlesnakes have a ranking of S3S4 (rare and local throughout the state – 21-100 known extant populations / apparently secure in Louisiana with many occurrences (100 to 1000 known extant populations) in Louisiana.
*** If you live in the range of this species in Louisiana and believe you may have observed this species please let me know (take a picture if possible), as there may be more unknown populations in the state.***
Author's Remarks: I have only observed this species alive a handful of times in Louisiana. The first was a very large individual in 2011 sunning on a slope in Chicot State Park (Evangeline Parish). In 2017 a group of us found two in one morning in West Feliciana Parish. In early 2018, a group of us found a large individual in New Orleans East, and a bit later another group of us found one in West Feliciana Parish. On the LARE field trip in the summer of 2018 to Chicot SP, we found a large adult. I found two dead on the road, one each in 2012 and 2018, on Longleaf Vista Road in Kisatchie National Forest (Natchitoches Parish). We found a beautiful adult in the woods near the trail at Mary Ann Brown Preserve on a LARE on-your-own field trip during the pandemic in August 2020. We also found one hit but alive on Castor Plunge Road near Woodworth in 2021.
