Abstract
ABSTRAC. -Five adult timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) were tracked using temperaturesensitive radio transmitters during their movements away from a den and on summer habitat. The snakes dispersed a mean of 504 m ( Q $ 280 m, 8 1400 m) and gained a mean of 102 m in elevation. One gravid female was relatively sedentary (39 m/move) between 20 June-5 August. Non-gravid females moved farther. Immediately after ecdysis movements of three snakes were suddenly extensive. Two females appeared to use the same migratory routes returning to the den in autumn as they did at spring egress. Minimum and maximum voluntary temperatures were 12.5 and 33.3?C, respectively. The overall mean body temperature (TB) was 26.9?C (N = 157). On the surface in clear weather, TB averaged 30.1?C while mean air temperature (TA) was 26.0 and substrate (Ts) 20.6?C. On the surface in cloudy weather and underground in clear weather, mean TB was 27.8?C. Snakes underground in cloudy weather had a mean TB of 20.2?C, not significantly different from mean TA and Ts. Thermoregulation was accomplished by moving in and out of rock crevices and by moving slightly within the sunshade interface in grassy-shrub locations. Body color, reproductive condition, stage of ecdysis, and feeding are four factors that may have important effects on thermal relationships of C. horridus. Controlled experiments to examine these factors are needed.
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