Variation in male movement paths during the mating season exhibited by the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) in St. Louis County, Missouri

Movement paths during the mating season exhibited by the Timber Rattlesnake ( Crotalus horridus , (Linnaeus, 1758)) in St. Louis County, Missouri, were determined by radiotelemetry and examined to test two hypotheses: 1) that males make long, linear movements over several days that bring them into contact with females and 2) that mating season movements by males increase displacement distances from overwintering dens.  Analysis of mating season movement paths (n = 10) indicated that movements associated with mating behaviors occurred over a period lasting from days to weeks, with most males making a series of movement movements over various distances. Analysis of movement direction with descriptive circular statistics indicated that, for most paths, component movement vectors were not oriented in the same direction and were not oriented in the direction of the female. When mating season movements commenced, all males were located at distances from dens that exceeded the average nearest-neighbor distance between dens, but when males were located with females, over half were found at locations within the average nearest-neighbor distance. The results demonstrate that male movements during the mating season occur over longer periods of time and over a greater variety of directions than had been previously hypothesized for this species; such movements may increase or decrease net displacement distances from resident dens.