For centuries, snakes have been misunderstood, under-appreciated, and even heavily persecuted. Snakes of Wisconsin by Wisconsin DNR. However, most of us are enthralled with them and our natural curiosity seeks to better understand them. In Wisconsin, no permit is required for the keeping of venomous snakes. Timber rattlesnakes have a wide distribution across the eastern half of the United States. The massasauga is one of the two venomous snakes in Wisconsin, the timber rattlesnake is the other. Removing snakes from their original territory is frequently followed by a rise in rodent numbers. As a kid, I remember looking at American Revolution flags in the classroom encyclopedia. Wisconsin. One of two rattlesnake species in Wisconsin, massasaugas historically occurred throughout southern and west-central Wisconsin but were aggressively killed by people in … https://www.eekwi.org › animals › reptiles › timber-rattlesnake Especially if it is a massasauga. There are eastern massasaugas, too, although not as many as there used to be. A few of the flags used the rattlesnake, including the well-known yellow Gadsden flag and the Rattlesnake Jack of the U.S. Navy. Don’t try and kill it. Rattlesnakes Two species of rattlesnakes – the timber rattler and the eastern massasauga – are native to Wisconsin. The timber rattlesnake and the eastern massasauga rattlesnake are the only Wisconsin snakes to truly be afraid of. The massasauga is on the endangered list, along with the queen snake, western ribbon snake and the northern ribbon snake. And unlike tiger rattlesnakes and black-tailed rattlesnakes, both of which tend to den by themselves, Western diamondbacks often den in groups of up to 10 to 20 individuals in the same area. Importantly, snakes keep down rodent populations that might otherwise be in plague proportions in many places, destroying crops, food storage, and spreading disease. Paloski explains that the massasauga rattlesnake is one of two rattlesnake species in Wisconsin, with there being a total of 21 species of snakes in the state. They live along the Mississippi—so, most of the western half of the state. Janesville, for example, restricts ownership of both venomous and constricting snakes. If you see one keep, your distance, or let it be. They also live in the area around Madison. Rattlesnakes are next in our examination of wildlife and a young nation. However, you should check with municipal law to see if they are banned where you live. The other rattlesnake … Snakes occur throughout most of the world and vary in length from 5 inches to more than 30 feet. Their range extends from eastern Kansas, Texas, Iowa and central Wisconsin to Georgia, the Carolinas, West Virginia, western Virginia, Pennsylvania and New England. Moreover, rattlesnakes are a source of food for predators. 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