Timber rattlesnake
species of reptile
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.
Taxonomy
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.
The subspecies C. h. atricaudatus (Latreille in Sonnini and Latreille, 1802), often referred to as the canebrake rattlesnake, is currently considered invalid. Previously, it was recognized by Gloyd (1936) and Klauber (1936).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Timber rattlesnake” is species of reptile. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Timber, rattlesnake and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of reptile” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1417249. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1758, 1802 and 1936.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Timber rattlesnake” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.