{"id":810138,"date":"2026-08-11T14:34:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/810138\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T14:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:34:19","slug":"tennessees-largest-and-most-dangerous-venomous-snake-spotted-at-percy-warner-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/810138\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee\u2019s largest and most dangerous venomous snake spotted at Percy Warner Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

What This Story Is About<\/p>\n

A viewer spotted a rattlesnake at Percy Warner and shared a video with WSMV4. <\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/p>\n

The snake spotted at Percy Warner is reportedly one of the most dangerous snakes in Tennessee, according to the TWRA.<\/p>\n

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A viewer spotted a rattlesnake at Percy Warner and shared a video with WSMV4.<\/p>\n

Renuka Christoph, a local entrepreneur, was at the park on Saturday and about to get on the 5.8-mile route when she came across the snake. <\/p>\n

The reptile in the video was a Timber Rattlesnake, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency<\/a> (TWRA).<\/p>\n

The TWRA said the Timber Rattlesnake is the largest and most dangerous of the four venomous snakes in Tennessee. <\/p>\n

The other three venomous snakes include: <\/p>\n

The pigmy rattlesnakeThe cottonmouthThe copperheadWhat does a Timber Rattlesnake look like?<\/p>\n

According to the TWRA, the Timber Rattlesnake is a large, heavy-bodied snake that runs 36 to 60 inches long. It has a large, triangular head, vertical pupils and the characteristic rattle at the end of the tail. <\/p>\n

Its color varies, but the TWRA said the Timber Rattlesnake is usually gray with a black tail. Other colors may include yellow, tan, brown, pink, dark brown or black. There are black chevron-shaped crossbands down the body and a rust-colored stripe can typically be seen down the center of the back. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe top of the head is gray, light tan, or yellow with a dark brown line extending from each eye to the angle of the jaw. Scales are keeled. A large sensory pit is on each side of the head between the nostril and the eye,\u201d the TWRA said. \u201cThe belly is tan or light gray, sprinkled with brown specks. Males are larger than females. [The younger snakes] are lighter in color than adults.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TimberTimber Rattlesnake spotted at Percy Priest(Renuka Christoph)\"TimberTimber Rattlesnake spotted at Percy Priest(Renuka Christoph)Where do Timber Rattlesnakes prefer to live?<\/p>\n

According to the TWRA, the Timber Rattlesnake prefers mature, heavily wooded forests with rocky, south-facing hillsides. They can often be seen in bluffs or on ledges. <\/p>\n

The rattlesnakes can also be found around mountains, swamps, cane thickets, wooded stream corridors and rural habitats. The TWRA said it is common to see Timber Rattlesnakes coiled near fallen logs or sunning on rocks. <\/p>\n

What to do if you see a Timber Rattlesnake? <\/p>\n

If you see a rattlesnake, back away. Sonoma County Regional Parks<\/a> (SCRP) said rattlesnakes aren\u2019t aggressive to humans unless they are threatened or frightened.<\/p>\n

SCRP said to not wave things at them because that might agitate them. They also said to not push them off the trail with a stick or shout at them. <\/p>\n

If they don\u2019t move off on their own, SCRP said to try stomping on the ground, at a safe distance, to give them a signal. <\/p>\n

If it still doesn\u2019t move, SCRP said to either wait it out or turn back, but said to not step around it, unless you can do it from a safe distance. <\/p>\n

\u201cKeep an eye on the snake in case it decides to escape your way. When motivated, they can glide fairly quickly,\u201d SCRP said. <\/p>\n

<\/a>What to do if a rattlesnake bites you?<\/p>\n

If a rattlesnake bites you, seek medical attention immediately. According to SCRP, rattlesnake venom can be lethal if not treated within several hours.<\/p>\n

After a rattlesnake bites you, the SCRP said it can cause painful swelling, bruising and tissue damage.<\/p>\n

According to the SCRP, exertion spreads the venom faster, so they said it\u2019s important to keep your heart rate as slow as possible. They said to remove rings, watches or bands that may restrict swelling and to not apply a tourniquet. You should also refrain from cutting out the bite to the venom or using ice or alcohol.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What This Story Is About A viewer spotted a rattlesnake at Percy Warner and shared a video with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":810139,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[983,3,343862,5661,79,83555,343866,343867,343868,86020,343863,343865,343869,343864,201,75948,115768],"class_list":["post-810138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-rattle-snakes-in-tennessee","tag-rattlesnake","tag-science","tag-timber-rattlesnake","tag-venemous-snakes-tennessee","tag-venmous-snakes","tag-venomous-rattlesnake","tag-venomous-snake","tag-what-do-if-you-see-a-rattlesnake","tag-what-does-a-rattle-snake-look-like","tag-what-does-a-timber-rattlesnake-look-like","tag-what-to-do-if-you-get-bit-by-a-rattlesnake","tag-wildlife","tag-wsmv","tag-wsmv-4"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=810138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/810139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=810138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=810138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=810138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}