PA Removes Timber Rattlesnake From 'Endangered Species Candidate' List

The Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission has voted to remove the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) from the state's Endangered Species Candidate list.

The delisting comes as a surprise to many conservation groups which point to an abundance of studies that indicate the rapid decline of the species.

The Fish and Game Commission, however, which has had the timber rattler as a "candidate" species since 1978, thinks their numbers are recovering.

As a candidate species, rattlesnakes did not enjoy any special protection, but were placed on the radar of the federal Endangered Species watch list. Hunting rattlesnakes has been strictly regulated for years due to flagging populations.

“The delisting of the Timber Rattlesnake demonstrates how protective measures and regulations can be successfully implemented to conserve a species and improve a population,” Executive Director John Arway said in a statement. "As part of a 12-year statewide assessment project, we have assessed more than 1,700 sites, of which 71% were occupied. The Timber Rattlesnake is now found in 51 of 67 counties. Current data indicates that the rattlesnake retains an extensive distribution across the Commonwealth, with large populations remaining in many areas, which justifies removing it from the Candidate list.”

Conservation groups like the Delaware Riverkeeper Network strongly disagree, and have urged the Fish and Boat Commission not to delist the rattlesnake. They point to the rattlesnake's inability to flourish in areas that are common to humans. Rattlesnakes will not cross roads, studies show, and new development can quickly isolate populations and lead to local extinction.

"Drilling and fracking wells are projected to increase, along with over 46 proposed gas power plants throughout the state to fuel the gas frenzy," the Riverkeeper Network says on their website. "Hundreds of infrastructure and pipeline projects criss-cross the state to transport gas to foreign and new markets. The timber rattlesnake continues to be threatened by habitat loss and being a casualty to the fossil fuel industry."

Indeed, several pipeline projects are planned in Eastern Pennsylvania to help route natural gas from the Marcellus Shale deposits. Sunoco's Marine East 2 Pipeline and the Penneast Pipeline could both potentially impact rattlesnake populations in the eastern part of the state.

Other studies show that climate change could render nearly all of the timber rattlesnake's present habitat not viable, sequestering their entire range to a small portion of the North Carolina-Tennessee border.

While they may be misunderstood as pests or a danger to humans, timber rattlesnakes are shy and will almost never strike a human unprovoked. Most bites occur during deliberate handling of snakes or if an individual makes an aggressive action toward a snake.

Conservationists tout the numerous positive ecological benefits of timber rattlesnakes. As predators they work to bring equilibrium to the ecosystem.And according to researchers at the University of Maryland,they may help reduce incidents of lyme disease in humans, because they prey on species deer mice which are carriers of the disease.

The Fish and Boat Commission said that they were working with East Stroudsburg University to develop a long-term population monitoring program to track changes and further the understanding of the conservation status of the snake.

In addition, other species which were removed from the candidate species list include the Ohio lamprey and the bowfin. The hornyhead chub was also removed from the Endangered Species list.

Image courtesy Francesca Massarotto.