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Hikers capture rare video of rattlesnakes fighting in Milton
Mass. Wildlife says the video showcases two male timber rattlesnakes fighting.
Hikers in the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton were shocked after they were stopped in their tracks by two rattlesnakes intertwined in a fight.
A group of local teachers, including Erin Noonan and Susan Maloney of Parker Elementary School in Quincy, captured the moment on camera recently.
“I’ve been hiking the Blue Hills my whole life,” Maloney told WBZ News. “Never seen one in there, so I was surprised.”
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, in an email to Boston.com, confirmed that the video shows two male timber rattlesnakes who appear to be fighting. The action, the department said, is rare to catch on camera.
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The teachers told WBZ later they realized their encounter could have ended badly, admitting they didn’t know what to do if someone got bit.
MassWildlife’s website states that bites require immediate medical attention but are very rare and even more rarely fatal.
The department said rattlesnakes are not aggressive but may strike to defend themselves if concerned or disturbed. MassWildlife warns people that if they spot a rattlesnake, they should keep their distance as they are venomous.
Timber rattlesnakes are native to Massachusetts and listed as endangered, the department said.
Active from mid-April to mid-October, adults range from 36 to 60 inches, with males reaching about 2 pounds and females averaging around 1.3 pounds.
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Historically, timber rattlesnakes were widespread throughout the state but are now only found in a few areas, including the Boston region, Berkshire County, and the southern Connecticut River Valley.
Threats to timber rattlesnakes include habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality, targeted and incidental killing, collection, harassment, and fungal disease.
Timber rattlesnakes have seen the most significant decline of any native reptile species in the state for the past 150 years. Populations collapsed by the late 1800s due to deforestation and deliberate eradication efforts supported by bounty systems.
Today, statewide populations are only in the hundreds.
The sighting comes years after the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife proposed establishing a timber rattlesnake colony on Zion Island in the Quabbin Reservoir. The plan was later placed on hold.
It is illegal for anyone to kill, collect, possess, import, or move rattlesnakes in the state.
You can report rattlesnake sightings to MassWildlife for research at [email protected] or report any illegal activity directly to the Massachusetts Environmental Police at 1-800-632-8075.
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