Is a timber rattler and a eastern diamondback rattlesnake the same thing?

Question

I am a taxidermist and had a customer ask if I could mount an eastern diamondback rattlesnake for him. I have a list of all endangered species and it list a timber rattler as being endangered. I am just wondering if these are two different species or two different names for the same species

Answer 1

Two completely different species.

Eastern Diamondback: http://www.photographyofanimals.com/imag...

Timber: http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=3703&ren...

Your specimen may not match exactly, there's a decent amount of color variation between individuals, but the pattern is constant.

Answer 2

They are different. If it is not from the Deep South, it can't be an eastern diamondback. If it is from peninsular Florida, it won't be a timber rattler. The diamondback ranges from LA (north of Lake Ponchartrain, east thru FL and up the coast to SE North Carolina. It seems to be restricted to the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont. Timber rattlers can be found in the mountains.