POCONO RECORD (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) 22 August 10 'Combat dance' caught on film - Timber rattlesnakes' ritual fight a rare encounter in Poconos (John Serrao)
There are many reasons why I find the timber rattlesnake such a fascinating animal: its heat-sensitive facial pits that detect warm-blooded animals on the darkest nights; its hypodermic, needle-like fangs that inject venom in a fraction of a second; its exquisite camouflage that allows it to disappear among the rocks and dead leaves of the forest floor; the communal winter dens where every member of the local population congregates each autumn; the protective guidance given by mothers to their newborns in leading them to these dens; the ability of gravid (pregnant) females to go a year without food; and, of course, the rattle that warns us not to come any closer.
Perhaps the most incredible fact is that they still survive anywhere in the northeastern states, where they've been persecuted and killed for hundreds of years.
When I'm in the presence of timber rattlesnakes, I feel privileged to witness a true symbol of Pennsylvania's wilderness and a living remnant of its wild heritage — and I'm thankful that a few of these wild areas have been preserved for the continued survival of these magnificent creatures.
But the one aspect of a timber rattlesnake's life that had always escaped my experience was the fascinating, rarely seen "ritual combat dance" of two males. I'd read about it for many years, and grew to consider this near-mythical behavior as something that only the most persistent rattlesnake researchers could ever see in nature — until this past July.
My brother Jim and his wife, Patricia, were visiting from Vermont, and we decided to spend a day hiking in the woods on a beautiful sunny day. A movement in the underbrush caught their attention, and I shrugged it off as just a chipmunk.
But when we stopped to look, what we saw made our jaws drop.
Two large yellowish timber rattlesnakes were entwined around each other, "wrestling" along the ground and causing quite a commotion in the low shrubs.
For about a half-hour we stood there and watched, mesmerized by the powerful, muscular contortions of the two snakes, who seemed completely oblivious to our presence as they focused all their attention on each other.
Each one raised his head and neck up into the air in an "S" shape and pushed against the raised body of the other, while trying to wrap his neck around his opponent's and slam him to the ground.
Each successful smackdown was so forceful that it was accompanied by loud thumping and smashing noises as the snakes hit the ground, branches and dead leaves. Then their heads and necks immediately rose up and gravitated toward each other again for the next bout.
The larger of the two snakes had some dried blood on its face — who knows how long this battle had been going on before we arrived?
After several wrestling rounds, the snakes rested with audible, deep breathing as they recovered from the amazingly energetic "feats of strength." And that's just what we were witnessing.
Male timber rattlesnakes wrestle like this only during the mating season in mid to late summer, and usually in the presence of a receptive female. The bouts aren't meant to physically injure an opponent (there is no biting), but rather to drive him away by defeating him with superior strength.
That's why male timer rattlesnakes are bigger than females — they've evolved larger size as an adaptation to successfully defeat their challengers and mate with most of the females in their area.
The combat continued — several rounds, followed by a brief rest, then several more rounds — until finally the smaller male gave up and retreated into a hole deep within the rocks.
Then, suddenly and for the first time, the victor noticed we were there and became interested in us as potential challengers. Any of our movements caused it to dart quickly in that direction to investigate — very unlike the normal retreat of a timber rattlesnake that does all it can to avoid humans. This male's hormones were so active that any movement in its domain became a potential male attempting to dethrone him.
Fortunately, my sister-in-law caught the entire display with her movie camera.
When we passed the spot again after our hike, the male was still there, but this time coiled around a placid, black female and nudging her with jerky movements of his head. She must have been hiding in the rocks during the fight and then emerged to reward the victor.
We didn't witness the actual mating, but the footage Patricia captured is great. Check my daughter Vanessa's website: NatureBreak.org.
Timber rattlesnakes' ritual fight a rare encounter in Poconos

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