- [Coyote] I'm coming, I'm coming. I'm coming.
- Whoa, Holy mackerel.
That is a huge snake.
- [Tim] Here, hold the tongs here.
Drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, now!
- [Mario] I didn't want to let go of it.
I didn't know I let go.
(tail rattling)
(Movie reel spinning)
(fast drumming)
(logo crackling)
- [Coyote] There's an old saying.
If at first you don't succeed,
try, try and try again.
When it comes to featuring the elusive timber rattlesnake,
this saying seems to be our team motto.
Oh my gosh.
The terrain that we traverse looking
for rattlesnakes is a challenge
unlike anything we've really ever done before.
Now, this is our third venture out looking for timbers
and it never gets any easier.
That sun is really beating down on us
and you see all this distance down behind me.
These mountain sides are what we essentially scale looking
for these perfect clusters of rocks,
where the snakes will be out and sunning.
It takes a toll on your body, that's for sure.
I'm going to catch up to Tim and Mario.
This hike is definitely testing our will
to find these snakes.
Today we have gained special permissions
to explore what is known as a right of way
that was built several years ago
during the insertion of a natural gas pipeline.
Upon initial installment,
this type of construction would have had an adverse impact
on the local wildlife.
Yet beyond construction, it has become an ideal habitat
for many species.
Insanely steep, brush covered,
and strewn with a jumble of various rock sizes,
this is now the perfect safe haven
for our sought after target, the timber rattlesnake.
Wow.
I mean, we're always talking
about how beautiful West Virginia is,
but when you make it to the top of a bluff like this,
check out the view.
That is something.
My goodness.
Wild and wonderful West Virginia right there.
Endless miles of possible snake territory.
But are we going to find one?
That's the real question.
Once again, we have teamed up
with wildlife expert, Tim Brust.
You likely recognize Tim from a variety
of episodes on the Brave Wilderness channel,
but it's truly the timber rattlesnake that
we can define as his specialty.
Currently, Tim has been conserving these snakes
by mitigating human snake interactions.
Simply put, he explores the areas
that are about to go into construction,
finds, and safely moves these reptiles
from the path of bulldozers.
During this process, he also educates field crews
about these misunderstood animals,
which helps to keep the snakes alive,
and the human safe from having
an unwanted venomous encounter.
We are going down at a pretty considerable angle right now
in our search for timber rattlesnakes.
Now, a lot of this environment has
this crumbled flat rock, right?
All of this, this almost like sheet rock.
So we're lifting up these giant pieces of rock
and looking beneath them for snakes.
You hear that it is completely hollow underneath this rock,
and it's very big, which means there's no chance
of flipping it.
But I came down and I scouted this after walking over it,
and look at this,
that right there is an absolute perfect spot
for a timber rattlesnake to be hiding.
Now you would never want to stick your hand up
and underneath the rock like that
to sift through the leaves.
A bite from a timber rattlesnake could definitely kill you.
It's just a matter of covering ground
and searching, searching, searching.
The more ground we cover, the better the chances we have
of finding a snake.
The Western hemisphere is home
to 32 different rattlesnake species.
And in my opinion, the timber rattler is one
of the most iconic.
We have been trying for years
to share this species with you.
But today things are about to change.
So Tim and Mario are ahead of me.
They just called out.
They found the timber rattlesnake.
Making my way as fast as I can down this rocky slope.
- I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming.
Okay, this is it.
We've got a timber rattlesnake.
Yes!
Oh my gosh, that snake is beautiful.
Okay, it sounds like we've got two snakes.
So what we're doing is just bagging the snake
for the moment to see if we can get the bigger one.
A really big snake, really big snake.
- [Mario] All right, what do you need me to do, Tim?
- Whoa, holy mackerel, that as a huge snake.
- [Mario] Wait, wait, we can't, we can't.
- [Tim] Here, hold the tongs here.
You got it? - [Mario] Yep.
Watch out.
- Here's the body here.
- Be really careful, there's other snakes in the area.
So what's happening right now is
we've got a very big snake underneath this rock.
It's a very dangerous situation.
You can see how steep it is right here,
so we've got to be very careful.
There are also other snakes within the rocks,
so we're going to slowly peel back pieces
of these rocks and see if we can safely get the snake.
There are sheds of snakeskin all over the place.
We have found a hotspot.
It's been quite the hike to get to this spot,
but we have finally got a timber rattlesnake.
Several of them actually.
(tails rattling)
- [Mario] Oh my God.
- It's a big snake.
- [Mario] Oh my God.
- [Tim] Hold him, hold him, hold him.
- [Coyote] Wow, that is a huge rattlesnake.
- [Tim] Okay, do we have another bag with us?
Okay.
- [Coyote] In total, we were able to secure three snakes.
One of which appeared to be a gravid female.
This is incredibly exciting for the future
of this population.
- [Tim] Beautiful!
- [Coyote] And to ensure she does not get stressed,
we immediately released her back into the rocks.
(tail rattling)
- [Coyote] Don't want to get any closer than that.
How about that Mario?
We finally got our timber.
- We got multiple timbers.
- [Tim] Oh my gosh.
That is a good size snake.
- All right, so what we're going to do
is actually put the snake in a snake bag at the moment.
It is definitely a big snake, but we can't film right here.
We have to take it to a slightly more controlled setting.
So we're going to safely bag it, move it,
and then bring it back down here for the release.
When you're bagging a snake, you always want to secure it
at the backside of the bag with the snake hook.
Snake skin.
That means this is a healthy population of rattlesnakes
that hang out in this area here.
We've hit the rattlesnake mother lode,
that's for sure.
With the two other snakes contained,
we begin the arduous climb back up the steep sides
of the right of way.
This is a very slow and very delicate process.
Mario, are you doing okay?
- Actually, I'll tell you what.
It's really hard on the forearm.
You got to keep the snake well away from your body
so it doesn't swing on you.
Snakes can bite easily through the bags,
and most people aren't venomated
when they're transporting snakes like this,
so I have to be very careful.
- There's the snakes.
That's where he came from.
And that is where we're still going.
A lot of effort, but totally worth it.
(tail rattling)
Wow.
There it is, the timber rattlesnake.
This is our third attempt
at finding one of these reptiles in the wild.
And my goodness, is this one handsome.
Now the name timber rattlesnake comes from the fact
that you find these snakes in forested areas,
and they are cryptic.
Unless you know exactly what it is
that you're looking for,
your odds of seeing one are rather pretty slim,
unless you stumble upon it,
and it gives you that warning of it's rattle,
you may walk right past it.
Now as compared to the other rattlesnake species here
in the United States,
I'd actually consider this species rather docile.
Their defense is always going to be
to rely on their camouflage first.
If you get too close,
this is exactly what you're going to hear.
That rattle going into full action.
Basically a security system that says you're too close,
get any closer, and you may take a bite.
You can see how close I am to the snake right now,
just about a foot and a half from it.
I don't want to make any sudden movements
or provoke it to striking,
but it definitely senses that I'm here.
And the rattlesnake is the pinnacle of snake evolution.
What I want you guys to really take a look at
are the heat sensing pits right in front of the eye,
and right below the nostril that allow these snakes
to pick up the heat signatures of their prey.
Basically, all they need to do is lay in wait,
as an ambush predator, for something to come close.
Their tongue will flick out,
they will sense the chemicals, the smell of that prey item,
and then with those heat sensing pits they can hone in,
almost like a heat seeking missile,
and then strike out with those huge fangs.
Remember, the fangs are like hypodermic needles,
and the second they inject that venom,
that prey item has pretty much no chance of surviving.
Now, if it's something like a small rabbit or a rat,
a chipmunk, a squirrel, and it runs off,
the snake will actually follow the scent
of that prey item until it succumbs to the venom,
and then it's capable of swallowing down it's meal.
And those fangs work individually of one another
and they will almost use those like grappling hooks
to drag their prey backwards into their mouths.
Now, the fangs are modified teeth,
but all snakes have multiple rows of teeth
within their mouth that are constantly being replaced
throughout the course of the snake's life.
So as the fangs draw the prey in,
the other teeth work it back,
down the throat, and they swallow their prey whole.
Now, as compared to other rattlesnake species
in the United States,
I would say the timber rattlesnake is more ambush
than it is nomadic.
They will always lay in wait,
waiting for their prey to come to them.
Any small mammals or small amphibians that they come across
within the forest environment make perfect prey.
And a snake of this size, which measures,
I would guess just a little over three feet in length,
is considered a full grown adult.
You may be saying to yourselves,
Coyote, you guys are so good at being able
to come across animals,
how come it's taken you so many attempts
to find a timber rattlesnake?
This species specifically has been persecuted
beyond what other rattlesnakes have even faced.
A lot of times people will come
across the den, which is known as a hibernaculum.
Once they see this, a huge collection of snakes,
what they will do is sometimes dump concrete or gasoline,
and burn these snakes or bury them alive.
So you can wipe out an entire population
of snakes by doing something like that.
So, seeing one of these snakes,
actually several of them like this in the wild,
in a very difficult to reach spot,
is a very positive thing.
It means that the population is thriving.
Nothing makes us more excited than
to see a thriving population of timber rattlesnakes.
This is just such a cool reptile.
Now, the next most important thing that we need to do
is actually collect the biometrics of this snake.
And to do that, what we're going to do
is generally get it into a snake tube.
This will put the least amount of stress on the snake,
and will be the safest scenario for both myself,
Tim, and the crew, to be able to handle the snake.
What I also want to do is get a more up close look
at that rattle, because when it comes to rattlesnakes,
nothing is more impressive than that defense system.
(scary music)
All right, snake is on the move.
All right, Tim, so what would you like me to do
to help with this part of the procedure?
- On these guys, you want to gently direct their head
into the tube. - [Coyote] Got it.
- [Tim] When he goes in, just set the tube at an angle,
if you can, downward. - [Coyote] Okay.
- [Tim] Sometimes it takes 30 seconds,
sometimes it takes 20 minutes.
Drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, drop,
down quick, quick, quick.
- [Coyote] I'll push him down.
- [Tim] Push him up, there you go.
Two on the tube, two on the snake.
- Woo, that was not easy.
Wow, that is a powerful snake.
My goodness.
With the snake safely tubed,
Tim and I are able to quickly collect the biometrics,
which include the snake's total length.
Scale count below the cloaca
to determine the reptile's sacks.
And finally, a rattle button count.
This doesn't tell us anything specifically scientific,
it's just cool to compare rattle sizes.
That rattle is one of the most unique aspects
of this snake.
And the rattle itself is actually made
out of modified scales.
You can actually see the way that it's growing
out of the tip of the rattlesnakes tail itself.
Now, inside its tail are a bunch of very specialized muscles
that allow the tail to vibrate any very high rate,
which causes the rattle to actually rattle.
So I can rattle it myself, like that,
or if I let go of those muscles,
the rattlesnake will rattle it on its own.
Now the rattle is made out of something known
as keratin, the same material that the scales are made
out of, and the same thing that your hair
and your fingernails are made out of.
People always want to know,
well what's inside the rattle of a rattlesnake?
Truth be told, nothing at all.
They're actually interlocking segments that are hollow.
They're known as buttons,
and when they vibrate against each other,
that is where you get the rattling sound.
Now, you cannot tell the age of a rattlesnake
by the number of buttons.
People often think that, like the rings of a tree,
if you come those buttons,
you can tell how old the snake is.
And it is not true because throughout the course
of the snake's life, it can lose segments of it's rattle,
but a new button comes into place every single time
this snake sheds its skin.
This snake here has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13 buttons on that rattle.
Honestly, this is the largest rattle I've ever seen
on any of the rattlesnakes we have featured
on the Brave Wilderness channel.
Truly a unique aspect of this snakes evolution
that makes it so incredibly distinct
as compared to any other snake around the world.
Well, how cool was this?
Spending an unbelievable amount of time searching for
and finally finding the timber rattlesnake
I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
Together, Tim and I worked out of scene
to collect biometrics on the other big snake.
It was robust and as healthy as a rattlesnake could be,
which was a great sign for this thriving population.
No two snakes are ever the same.
And considering the timber rattler comes
in such a wide variety of color phases,
it's pretty cool to see just how different individuals are,
especially when compared side by side.
Finally, we hiked back down to the point of discovery
and released both snakes
into their corresponding rock crevices.
The future rattlesnakes, and all snakes
for that matter, is always tangled up in a series
of uncertainties that center around an unnecessary fear
of these misunderstood reptiles.
Yet it's conservationists like Tim Brust
and the tireless work he does to help people understand
the importance of these creatures
that will ensure they continue to slither across the planet.
If you're a large construction company
and are concerned for the safety of your team,
but are also cognizant of the important role
native wildlife plays, let's get these animals
out of the bulldozers pathway.
Click on the link in the video description below
to contact Edge Engineering and Science.
Tim and the rest of their staff
can provide the necessary support to make sure
your workers are safe,
the project's in compliance,
and the final result will be a happy balance
between nature and humans.
(tail rattling)
(logo creaking and howling)