Massasauga (Eastern)

§ Quick facts

§ Encyclopedia

Sistrurus is a genus of pit vipers in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The genus is endemic to Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Its generic name is a Latinized form of the Greek word for "tail rattler" and shares its root with the ancient Egyptian musical instrument, the sistrum, a type of rattle. Three species are currently recognized.

Source: Wikipedia — Sistrurus · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Small gray-brown rattlesnake with dark blotches; black belly; small rattle producing distinctive insect-like buzz.

Similar species. Timber Rattlesnake (much larger, banded). Pygmy Rattlesnake (different range). Northern Water Snake (no rattle, different head shape).

Voice. Soft buzzing rattle — quieter than larger rattlesnake species.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Small mammals (especially voles), frogs, occasional small birds, small snakes. Ambush hunter.

Behavior. Smallest rattlesnake in eastern North America. Federally threatened (2016). Highly secretive; spends most of life in wetland habitats — wet meadows, fens, sedge marshes. Hibernates singly in crayfish burrows or muskrat lodges (vs. communal dens of most rattlesnakes). Live births of 5–20 young.

§ Range

Eastern US Great Lakes region

§ Habitat

Wet prairies, fens, sedge meadows

§ Threats

Wetland drainage, road mortality, persecution.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the massasauga (eastern) is currently classified as Endangered.

§ What helps

Support wetland conservation. Don't kill snakes.

§ Further reading

• Wikipedia — Sistrurus
• www.fws.gov — authoritative profile of Sistrurus catenatus catenatus
• IUCN Red List · taxon 64339
• iNaturalist · taxon 30764
• GBIF occurrence records
• Encyclopedia of Life — Sistrurus catenatus catenatus

§ Sources cited

• USFWS Eastern Massasauga Recovery
• The Orianne Society
• Eastern Massasauga Working Group
• IUCN Red List 2016