Watch Out: Two Rattlesnakes Fight on Hiking Trail in Massachusetts

Social media has given me more knowledge (both facts and flat-out lies) than any other platform.

You have to be careful when you see something on social media. You never know if it is true, or a whole bunch of bologna.

So I saw this video of two rattlesnakes "fighting" on a trail in Massachusetts, and instantly did follow-up research.

1. Do snakes "fight?"

2. Do rattlesnakes actually live in Massachusetts?

3. Is this video real, and should I be scared?

Here is the video:

The video was captured on a trail at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Massachusetts.

Upon further research, it turns out that the rattlesnakes were probably not fighting. I have concluded that this was part of a mating ritual.

Either these are two males showing off to see who gets to mate with the female, or these are two rattlesnakes who were captured in the act of mating.

Either way, they were not "fighting", per se.

And for those who did not know that rattlesnakes were in New England, they are.

A timber rattler is a rattlesnake found in the Northeast near timber (woods), such as the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Massachusetts forests, etc.

The timber rattler is a "species of regional concern" in the Northeast, according to a New Hampshire wildlife article. That means the species is beyond endangered in these parts.

In New England, you are most likely to encounter one of these snakes in the White Mountains, Bear Brook State Park, Lake Winnipesaukee, and near Chesterfield/Swanzey.

Both Massachusetts and New Hampshire wildlife have asked the public to help report sitings of the timber rattler. So, these people recording the rattlesnakes "fighting" or mating did the right thing.

If you do encounter one of these rare snakes, snap a pic, take note of where you are, and slowly walk away. Don't try and be one of those funny people who gets too close and gets bit.