The average tail length of a female timber rattlesnake percentage wise of the over-all length is 5.9 and for the male, 7.7. The color of rattlesnakes is usually distributed through their dots, stippling, or punctuations. Most timber rattlesnakes are yellow or tan with crossbands, formed from posterior dorsal blotches, that are dark in color. However, many individuals, especially in adult form, are melanistic - completely black. Tail colors help to classify rattlesnakes.
Timber rattlesnakes have black tails with crossbands that are hard to identify.
Rattlesnake coloration also aids them in protection. Their hues tend to blend well with their environment. The pattern and colors in sexual dimorphism is important to the timber rattlesnakes, unlike most rattlers. Females tend to be yellowish and the males tend to be more black. Albinism, which is a pigment deficiency, has been observed in timber rattlers.