Date of Award

2005

Degree Name

Biological Sciences

College

College of Science

Type of Degree

M.S.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Thomas K. Pauley

Second Advisor

Dan K. Evans

Third Advisor

Patrick D. Keyser

Abstract

Seventeen timber rattlesnakes were surgically implanted with radio transmitters and subsequently radio-tracked to determine the home range and behavior, as well as cause-specific mortality, of timber rattlesnakes on production forests in Randolph County, West Virginia. Mean home range sizes were 94.3 ha, males; 31.2 ha, nongravid females; 8.5 ha, gravid females; and 44.7 ha, among sex classes. Among sex classes, the mean daily movement rate was 20.2 mper day; the mean maximum known distances from den sites was 1110.2 m; the mean distance from den sites was 514.2 m; and the mean total distance moved was 2852.9 m. Mean active season for was 165.5 days, males; 171.0 days, females; and 167.3 days, among sex classes. Vehicles and mammalian predators each caused 17.6 % of total mortalities and avian predators caused 5.9% of total mortality. No rattlesnakes that died of vehicle-induced injuries were found on the road.

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