Timber Rattlesnake Crotalus horridus by Jeff LeClere Status Because of serious decline in this species, the timber rattlesnake is listed as a Threatened species in Minnesota.
Timber rattlesnakes have a diamond shaped head which is set off from their relatively thin neck.
The pupils of the eyes are elliptical in bright light and there is a heat-sensitive pit between the eye and nostral on both sides of the head. Ground color may be variable, but a banded pattern is almost always present. Ground color may be yellow, with or without a rusty orange stripe down the center of the back, or gray or brown. These bands are from 2 to 4 scales wide with a space of about 4 to 6 scales between them and have a light border. The belly is usually the same color as the dorsal ground color and unmarked, except for some darker stippling on some specimens.