Neonate Canebrake at stump

Crotalus horridus from South Carolina. This young rattlesnake was likely born just last year. Since rattlesnakes here give birth in the late summer and early fall, they only have so much time to grow before they're forced to seek thermal refuge for winter. Often, the snakes only grow enough in those first couple of months that they only shed once before winter (beyond their natal shed - which happens 1.5-2 weeks after birth). This snake had only two rattle segments: one from birth and one from that one shed. Many people still believe that a rattlesnake adds a rattle segment for every year, which allows you to age the snake. While some snakes' rattle counts might allow for a rough estimation of age in the first few years of life, it is because we know these snakes typically shed 3 or 4 times a year in our region. But the older a snake gets, the less growth one can see in the rattle segments and the more likely it is that older, brittle rattle segments will break and fall off.

Done