The Magnificent 7 - Episode IV - Timber Rattlesnake

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mikephoto
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The Magnificent 7 - Episode IV - Timber Rattlesnake

Post by mikephoto »

The magnificent seven refers to my seven favorite native snake species in Wisconsin.
The fourth video in this series is dedicated to the timber rattlesnake.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ3s01jwVSs

Thanks for watching.
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Porter
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Re: The Magnificent 7 - Episode IV - Timber Rattlesnake

Post by Porter »

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Porter
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Re: The Magnificent 7 - Episode IV - Timber Rattlesnake

Post by Porter »

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BethH
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Re: The Magnificent 7 - Episode IV - Timber Rattlesnake

Post by BethH »

At the very beginning, one person asks the other about the number of venomous snakes in Wisconsin. I know the two listed are native, but I'd always heard that a grivid female western diamondback "escaped" from a circus train after it derailed, and that due to that, there was a small population of wester diamondback rattlesnakes in Wisconsin. I doubt that's what you're trying to tell people about with your videos, which are very interesting but, do you know, is that story true? And, are timber rattlesnakes at all common in Wisconsin? I'm from Iowa, and while I'd always heard tales, I'd only met one couple who actually saw one in Iowa, and that was in the 1950's. Thanks.

Beth
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BillMcGighan
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Re: The Magnificent 7 - Episode IV - Timber Rattlesnake

Post by BillMcGighan »

BethH
I know the two listed are native, but I'd always heard that a grivid female western diamondback "escaped" from a circus train after it derailed, and that due to that, there was a small population of wester diamondback rattlesnakes in Wisconsin.
Interesting.. I forgot about that. :lol:

Back before the forum crash in 2010 there was a most interesting discussion on this by some knowledgeable folks on how these Western Diamondbacks are no longer in Wisconsin, but the rumors continue.



I think I first read about this in Ditmars’ 1936 Reptiles of North America (Pg. 353 – see excerpt below in this post) where he refers to T.E.B. Popes’ 1928 “Herpetological Notes” in the “Yearbook of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee, Volume 8, Issue 1” where he discusses possible escape and establishment of C. a. atrox in western Wisconsin.



Interesting enough there is a specimen in the Milwaukee Museum:
http://portal.vertnet.org/search?q=milw ... alus+atrox

MPM H 2293 Reptilia: Crotalus atrox atrox United States, Wisconsin, Vernon: no specific locality recorded Spellum,W R



Most interesting is a 1931 discussion on starting on page 327:
http://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs ... ebpope.pdf





Excerpt from Ditmars:
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BethH
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Re: The Magnificent 7 - Episode IV - Timber Rattlesnake

Post by BethH »

That's really interesting. I probably did get the information from the Ditmers book, which was in the library. I wasn't on the group at the time you mention, so I knew nothing about that. Can I guess that the area they are describing was along the Mississippi, near the Iowa/Minnesota border? When I was a kid, we used to go camping at Wyalusing (which I KNOW is spelled wrong, but I did my best). I'll go back and read more from the links you provided. Thanks.
BethH
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Re: The Magnificent 7 - Episode IV - Timber Rattlesnake

Post by BethH »

Well, it was clear that it was no where near where I thought it might be. That was a very interesting excerpt. Thanks for sharing it.
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