Watch: Snakes duel in dance-like combat
A group of hikers encountered two snakes doing a ‘combat dance.”
A group of teachers encountered a dramatic snake fight while hiking a trail in Massachusetts’ Blue Hills Reservation.
Erin Noonan and her colleagues from Parker Elementary School in Quincy were hiking near Milton on July 30 when they ran into “two timber rattlesnakes doing a ‘combat dance’,” Noonan told Storyful.
Video footage captured by Noonan shows the snakes wrestling and fighting with each other in the middle of the trail path.
“What are they doing,” one person in the video ask while another hums and another laughs.
Click below to watch these two timber rattlers battle it out
“Oh my god, that’s crazy,” another person can be heard saying.
“Super cool!” says another.
One of the only two venomous species in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is home to 14 species of snakes of which two, including timber rattlesnakes, are venomous, according to the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. The other venomous snake species is the copperhead. The two species are found in only a few areas of the state and are state listed as endangered species.
Timber rattlesnakes are large, heavy-bodied pit vipers with broad, triangular heads and variable color patterns, as per the wildlife division. While some are almost jet black, other are sulfur-yellow with black, brown, or rust-colored blotches. Unlike any other rattlesnake species in North America, they don’t have stripes or bands on their heads and faces. Every time they shed skin, they add a new rattle segment, which is an indication of their age.
Massachusetts timber rattlesnakes are active from mid-April to mid-October and can mostly be found in the state’s western counties.
Noonan’s colleague, Susan Maloney, also a teacher at Parker Elementary School Teacher, told WBZ News that she’d never seen anything like this before.
“I’ve been hiking the Blue Hills my whole life,” Maloney said. “Never seen one in there so I was surprised.”
Given the rarity of the encounter, the teachers plan to show the videos and images to their students at school.
“They love studying snakes and frogs, and it does lead into like OK why don’t we do a little studying about snakes? Why don’t we learn about them,” Noonan told WBZ.
What to do if you spot a timber rattlesnake
The Massachusetts wildlife division advises the public to maintain a safe distance if they ever encounter these venomous species.
“Do not handle or otherwise disturb them,” says the department.
The department also requests those who spot these reptiles to submit their observations to them to help with conservation efforts.
“Your reports provide critical information that informs future habitat management and wildlife conservation for future generations,” the dept. says.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
