Crotalus horridus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), also known commonly as the banded rattlesnake, and the canebrake rattlesnake in the southern United States, is a species of pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is native to the eastern United States. Like all other pit vipers, it is venomous, with a very toxic bite. Its venom is extremely potent, and both hemorrhagic and neurotoxic venom are present depending on population and location. C. horridus is the only rattlesnake species in most of the populous Northeastern United States and is one of the most northerly distributed venomous snakes in North America. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
The timber rattlesnake was one of the many reptile species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in the landmark 1758 10th edition of his Systema Naturae, and still bears its original name Crotalus horridus. Based on an analysis of geographic variation, Pisani et al. (1972) concluded... Wikipedia →
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United States · 2023
© Josh Emm · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2026
© ccapp · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2020
© Ty Smith · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Greensboro Science Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Dallas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Birmingham Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Guadalajara Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 20 | Audubon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Dickerson Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Indianapolis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | Zoo Knoxville | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Memphis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Metro Richmond Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | Three Sisters Springs | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Virginia Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 34 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 35 | Cameron Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Potter Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | The Wild Safari | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 39 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 40 | Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 42 | Western North Carolina Nature Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 43 | Lehigh Valley Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | The Abilene Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | Henry Vilas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 46 | Safari Masai Mara | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 47 | Alligator Adventure | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 48 | Gator Country LA Alligator Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 49 | North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 50 | Reptile Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Timber Rattlesnake sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 250 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 27 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Timber Rattlesnake in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Timber Rattlesnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Timber Rattlesnake sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Timber Rattlesnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (250 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
