ELSAH - A group led by Dr. Scott Eckert is learning a considerable amount about the habits of timber rattlesnakes, nestled in the bluffs in and around Principia College.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Eckert is the chair of the Biology and Natural Sciences Department at Principia College. Researchers have discovered the dens that Eckert once knew existed for timber rattlesnakes in the 1970s along the bluffs don’t exist anymore. He said the timber rattlesnakes are living in new dens. Eckert researched the timber rattlesnakes back in the 1970s and has a long history with Principia College.
He said soon once daily temperatures start dropping, the timber rattlesnakes will settle in their dens for the winter.
“They need some place to get deep under ground more than 10 feet,” he said. “They need a place that is South-facing on the bluffs where the temperature is a good 10-to-12 degrees warmer than back in the forest. They need that warmth. They know when the cold is coming and anchor themselves. They will now undergo that transition when the temperatures drop below 60 degrees.”
Through the research with the Principia students, Dr. Eckert said they have discovered the snakes love field edges and want to be protected and hunt where they feel safe.
“They mostly hunt on field edges, but need contiguous forests to move from one hunting area to another,” he said. “One of the reasons the species is threatened in Illinois is because we are losing our forests to development. There is so little forest left and no way to get from point A to Point B. We tracked 10 snakes 175 days this year and walked more than 2,000 miles this summer finding out different things.”
Throughout his time studying and researching timber rattlesnakes in the area, Eckert has learned the ins and outs of their behavior, mating patterns and characteristics.
“The male timber rattlesnakes behave differently than the females,” he said. “The males move twice as far as the females, especially during mating season. The mating season starts in July and the males start moving going from female to female snake looking to mate.”
The female stores the sperm once mating occurs and produces pups in the spring, Eckert said. He said the average female probably produces five or six pups in the spring, although can produce up to a dozen.
The timber rattlesnake population in and near the Principia College campus is “substantial,” Eckert said.
He said again, now the snakes will be looking for South-facing hibernation dens for the winter and often return to the same den year after year.
The researchers work with the St. Louis Zoo to plant tracking devices to trail the snakes they watch. The students recently presented their finds at the St. Louis Zoo.
In a recent RiverBender.com story about the timber rattlesnake study, a question by a viewer was asked, what do Christian Scientists do if they suffer a rattlesnake bite during their research? Eckert said it is an individual choice of those assisting with his program, but those decisions are discussed and made before they embark anyone on the project.
The response to the question by Dr. Eckert was that it is his and his students individual choices. Eckert also emphasized that such a bite is not likely with the vast precautions he and his students take in the study.
He said the approaches are definitely independent with his students on how they approach healing.
Principia is an educational institution for Christian Scientists located on two campuses, one in Elsah, Principia College, and Principia School in West St. Louis County serving students from early childhood through high school.
Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices developed in 19th Century New England by Mary Baker Eddy. The church does not require that Christian Scientists avoid all medical care, some use dentists, optometrists, obstetricians, physicians for broken bones and vaccination when required by law, but maintains that Christian Science prayer is most effective when not combined with medicine.
“An anti-venom injection is another medical response to snake bites and for those who take that medical route is very effective and has a good track record,” he said. “Technology has come a long way to treat rattlesnake and copperhead bites from 30 years ago.”
Eckert stresses a timber rattlesnake bite during research is not likely to happen. He said first, their discoveries show the timber rattlesnakes are mostly docile and have to normally be picked up or handled to have a chance of being bitten.
“We all wear heavy boots and use snake tongs to pick up the snakes,” he said. “The tongs are 36 inches long and we never handle snakes. We use tubing and have them get in a tube and that keeps the head inside the tube.”
The researchers also wear snake chaps, which are designed to prevent the snake from penetrating. He said it is also unlikely for a timber rattlesnake to strike at higher than knee height, which the chaps protect the rest.
“The bottom line is most who are bitten try to handle the snake,” he said. “It is surprisingly rare that someone steps on a timber rattlesnake and they are bitten. The best defense is don’t pick one of the timber rattlesnakes up.”
