- [Coyote] I'm coming,
I'm coming. I'm coming. - Whoa, Holy mackerel. That is a huge snake. - [Tim] Here, hold the tongs here. Drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, now! - [Mario] I didn't want to let go of it. I didn't know I let go. (tail rattling) (Movie reel spinning) (fast drumming) (logo crackling) - [Coyote] There's an old saying. If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again. When it comes to featuring the
elusive timber rattlesnake, this saying seems to be our team motto. Oh my gosh. The terrain that we traverse looking for rattlesnakes is a challenge unlike anything we've
really ever done before. Now, this is our third venture
out looking for timbers and it never gets any easier. That sun is really beating down on us and you see all this
distance down behind me. These mountain sides are what
we essentially scale looking for these perfect clusters of rocks, where the snakes will be out and sunning. It takes a toll on your
body, that's for sure. I'm going to catch up to Tim and Mario. This hike is definitely testing our will to find these snakes. Today we have gained special permissions to explore what is known as a right of way that was built several years ago during the insertion of
a natural gas pipeline. Upon initial installment, this type of construction would
have had an adverse impact on the local wildlife. Yet beyond construction, it
has become an ideal habitat for many species. Insanely steep, brush covered, and strewn with a jumble
of various rock sizes, this is now the perfect safe haven for our sought after target,
the timber rattlesnake. Wow. I mean, we're always talking about how beautiful West Virginia is, but when you make it to the
top of a bluff like this, check out the view. That is something. My goodness. Wild and wonderful West
Virginia right there. Endless miles of possible snake territory. But are we going to find one? That's the real question. Once again, we have teamed up with wildlife expert, Tim Brust. You likely recognize Tim from a variety of episodes on the Brave
Wilderness channel, but it's truly the timber rattlesnake that we can define as his specialty. Currently, Tim has been
conserving these snakes by mitigating human snake interactions. Simply put, he explores the areas that are about to go into construction, finds, and safely moves these reptiles from the path of bulldozers. During this process, he
also educates field crews about these misunderstood animals, which helps to keep the snakes alive, and the human safe from having an unwanted venomous encounter. We are going down at a pretty
considerable angle right now in our search for timber rattlesnakes. Now, a lot of this environment has this crumbled flat rock, right? All of this, this almost like sheet rock. So we're lifting up these
giant pieces of rock and looking beneath them for snakes. You hear that it is completely
hollow underneath this rock, and it's very big, which
means there's no chance of flipping it. But I came down and I scouted
this after walking over it, and look at this, that right there is an
absolute perfect spot for a timber rattlesnake to be hiding. Now you would never want
to stick your hand up and underneath the rock like that to sift through the leaves. A bite from a timber rattlesnake
could definitely kill you. It's just a matter of covering ground and searching, searching, searching. The more ground we cover, the
better the chances we have of finding a snake. The Western hemisphere is home to 32 different rattlesnake species. And in my opinion, the
timber rattler is one of the most iconic. We have been trying for years to share this species with you. But today things are about to change. So Tim and Mario are ahead of me. They just called out. They found the timber rattlesnake. Making my way as fast as I
can down this rocky slope. - I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming. Okay, this is it. We've got a timber rattlesnake. Yes! Oh my gosh, that snake is beautiful. Okay, it sounds like we've got two snakes. So what we're doing is
just bagging the snake for the moment to see if
we can get the bigger one. A really big snake, really big snake. - [Mario] All right, what
do you need me to do, Tim? - Whoa, holy mackerel,
that as a huge snake. - [Mario] Wait, wait, we can't, we can't. - [Tim] Here, hold the tongs here. You got it?
- [Mario] Yep. Watch out. - Here's the body here. - Be really careful, there's
other snakes in the area. So what's happening right now is we've got a very big snake
underneath this rock. It's a very dangerous situation. You can see how steep it is right here, so we've got to be very careful. There are also other
snakes within the rocks, so we're going to slowly peel back pieces of these rocks and see if
we can safely get the snake. There are sheds of snakeskin
all over the place. We have found a hotspot. It's been quite the hike
to get to this spot, but we have finally got
a timber rattlesnake. Several of them actually. (tails rattling) - [Mario] Oh my God. - It's a big snake. - [Mario] Oh my God. - [Tim] Hold him, hold him, hold him. - [Coyote] Wow, that
is a huge rattlesnake. - [Tim] Okay, do we have
another bag with us? Okay. - [Coyote] In total, we were
able to secure three snakes. One of which appeared
to be a gravid female. This is incredibly exciting for the future of this population. - [Tim] Beautiful! - [Coyote] And to ensure
she does not get stressed, we immediately released
her back into the rocks. (tail rattling) - [Coyote] Don't want to
get any closer than that. How about that Mario? We finally got our timber. - We got multiple timbers. - [Tim] Oh my gosh. That is a good size snake. - All right, so what we're going to do is actually put the snake in
a snake bag at the moment. It is definitely a big snake,
but we can't film right here. We have to take it to a slightly
more controlled setting. So we're going to safely bag it, move it, and then bring it back
down here for the release. When you're bagging a snake,
you always want to secure it at the backside of the
bag with the snake hook. Snake skin. That means this is a healthy
population of rattlesnakes that hang out in this area here. We've hit the rattlesnake mother lode, that's for sure. With the two other snakes contained, we begin the arduous climb
back up the steep sides of the right of way. This is a very slow and
very delicate process. Mario, are you doing okay? - Actually, I'll tell you what. It's really hard on the forearm. You got to keep the snake
well away from your body so it doesn't swing on you. Snakes can bite easily through the bags, and most people aren't venomated when they're transporting
snakes like this, so I have to be very careful. - There's the snakes. That's where he came from. And that is where we're still going. A lot of effort, but totally worth it. (tail rattling) Wow. There it is, the timber rattlesnake. This is our third attempt at finding one of these
reptiles in the wild. And my goodness, is this one handsome. Now the name timber
rattlesnake comes from the fact that you find these
snakes in forested areas, and they are cryptic. Unless you know exactly what it is that you're looking for, your odds of seeing one
are rather pretty slim, unless you stumble upon it, and it gives you that
warning of it's rattle, you may walk right past it. Now as compared to the other
rattlesnake species here in the United States, I'd actually consider this
species rather docile. Their defense is always going to be to rely on their camouflage first. If you get too close, this is exactly what you're going to hear. That rattle going into full action. Basically a security system
that says you're too close, get any closer, and you may take a bite. You can see how close I
am to the snake right now, just about a foot and a half from it. I don't want to make any sudden movements or provoke it to striking, but it definitely senses that I'm here. And the rattlesnake is the
pinnacle of snake evolution. What I want you guys to
really take a look at are the heat sensing pits
right in front of the eye, and right below the nostril
that allow these snakes to pick up the heat
signatures of their prey. Basically, all they need
to do is lay in wait, as an ambush predator, for
something to come close. Their tongue will flick out, they will sense the chemicals,
the smell of that prey item, and then with those heat
sensing pits they can hone in, almost like a heat seeking missile, and then strike out with those huge fangs. Remember, the fangs are
like hypodermic needles, and the second they inject that venom, that prey item has pretty
much no chance of surviving. Now, if it's something like
a small rabbit or a rat, a chipmunk, a squirrel, and it runs off, the snake will actually follow the scent of that prey item until
it succumbs to the venom, and then it's capable of
swallowing down it's meal. And those fangs work
individually of one another and they will almost use
those like grappling hooks to drag their prey
backwards into their mouths. Now, the fangs are modified teeth, but all snakes have multiple rows of teeth within their mouth that are
constantly being replaced throughout the course of the snake's life. So as the fangs draw the prey in, the other teeth work it back, down the throat, and they
swallow their prey whole. Now, as compared to
other rattlesnake species in the United States, I would say the timber
rattlesnake is more ambush than it is nomadic. They will always lay in wait, waiting for their prey to come to them. Any small mammals or small
amphibians that they come across within the forest environment
make perfect prey. And a snake of this size, which measures, I would guess just a little
over three feet in length, is considered a full grown adult. You may be saying to yourselves, Coyote, you guys are so good at being able to come across animals, how come it's taken you so many attempts to find a timber rattlesnake? This species specifically
has been persecuted beyond what other
rattlesnakes have even faced. A lot of times people will come across the den, which is
known as a hibernaculum. Once they see this, a
huge collection of snakes, what they will do is sometimes
dump concrete or gasoline, and burn these snakes or bury them alive. So you can wipe out an entire population of snakes by doing something like that. So, seeing one of these snakes, actually several of them
like this in the wild, in a very difficult to reach spot, is a very positive thing. It means that the population is thriving. Nothing makes us more excited than to see a thriving population
of timber rattlesnakes. This is just such a cool reptile. Now, the next most important
thing that we need to do is actually collect the
biometrics of this snake. And to do that, what we're going to do is generally get it into a snake tube. This will put the least
amount of stress on the snake, and will be the safest
scenario for both myself, Tim, and the crew, to be
able to handle the snake. What I also want to do is
get a more up close look at that rattle, because when
it comes to rattlesnakes, nothing is more impressive
than that defense system. (scary music) All right, snake is on the move. All right, Tim, so what
would you like me to do to help with this part of the procedure? - On these guys, you want
to gently direct their head into the tube.
- [Coyote] Got it. - [Tim] When he goes in, just
set the tube at an angle, if you can, downward.
- [Coyote] Okay. - [Tim] Sometimes it takes 30 seconds, sometimes it takes 20 minutes. Drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, drop, down quick, quick, quick. - [Coyote] I'll push him down. - [Tim] Push him up, there you go. Two on the tube, two on the snake. - Woo, that was not easy. Wow, that is a powerful snake. My goodness. With the snake safely tubed, Tim and I are able to quickly
collect the biometrics, which include the snake's total length. Scale count below the cloaca to determine the reptile's sacks. And finally, a rattle button count. This doesn't tell us anything
specifically scientific, it's just cool to compare rattle sizes. That rattle is one of
the most unique aspects of this snake. And the rattle itself is actually made out of modified scales. You can actually see the
way that it's growing out of the tip of the
rattlesnakes tail itself. Now, inside its tail are a bunch
of very specialized muscles that allow the tail to
vibrate any very high rate, which causes the rattle
to actually rattle. So I can rattle it myself, like that, or if I let go of those muscles, the rattlesnake will rattle it on its own. Now the rattle is made
out of something known as keratin, the same material
that the scales are made out of, and the same thing that your hair and your fingernails are made out of. People always want to know, well what's inside the
rattle of a rattlesnake? Truth be told, nothing at all. They're actually interlocking
segments that are hollow. They're known as buttons, and when they vibrate against each other, that is where you get the rattling sound. Now, you cannot tell
the age of a rattlesnake by the number of buttons. People often think that,
like the rings of a tree, if you come those buttons, you can tell how old the snake is. And it is not true because
throughout the course of the snake's life, it can
lose segments of it's rattle, but a new button comes into
place every single time this snake sheds its skin. This snake here has one, two,
three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12,
13 buttons on that rattle. Honestly, this is the
largest rattle I've ever seen on any of the rattlesnakes
we have featured on the Brave Wilderness channel. Truly a unique aspect
of this snakes evolution that makes it so incredibly distinct as compared to any other
snake around the world. Well, how cool was this? Spending an unbelievable
amount of time searching for and finally finding the timber rattlesnake I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild. We'll see you on the next adventure. Together, Tim and I worked out of scene to collect biometrics
on the other big snake. It was robust and as healthy
as a rattlesnake could be, which was a great sign for
this thriving population. No two snakes are ever the same. And considering the timber rattler comes in such a wide variety of color phases, it's pretty cool to see just
how different individuals are, especially when compared side by side. Finally, we hiked back down
to the point of discovery and released both snakes into their corresponding rock crevices. The future rattlesnakes, and all snakes for that matter, is always
tangled up in a series of uncertainties that center
around an unnecessary fear of these misunderstood reptiles. Yet it's conservationists like Tim Brust and the tireless work he does
to help people understand the importance of these creatures that will ensure they continue
to slither across the planet. If you're a large construction company and are concerned for
the safety of your team, but are also cognizant
of the important role native wildlife plays,
let's get these animals out of the bulldozers pathway. Click on the link in the
video description below to contact Edge Engineering and Science. Tim and the rest of their staff can provide the necessary
support to make sure your workers are safe, the project's in compliance, and the final result
will be a happy balance between nature and humans. (tail rattling) (logo creaking and howling)
