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The copperhead and timber rattlesnakes have similar annu_al behavior patterns. They are active from April to October, preferring to hunt during the day in spring and fall and at night during the heat of the summer. They are “sit and wait” predators that ambush unwary prey, usually small mammals but also birds, frogs, and even insects. They iryect prey with venom and swallow the incapacitated bodies whole.
In the late fall snakes of both species migrate to communal wintering dens every year where they form large, sometimes mixed groups of dozens, even hundreds, of individuals. The dens are generally rocky ledges in wooded areas with large cracks and crevices that provide protection during the winter.
In early spring, snakes emerge to bask near the dens on sunny rocks. Basking is also a communal behavior with individuals wrapping around each other to form masses of scaly coils. As the temperatures climb, males, juveniles and nonpregnant females move away separately to feed all summer.
Basking for babies
But not the pregnant females. They remain nearby and bask communally as embryos develop in their bodies over the summer. During this period they generally do not eat. Around August, females give birth to live young in communal
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