Rouse, J.D. WWF. Massasauga Rattlesnake Massasauga Rattlesnakes Massasauga Snake Massasauga Sistrurus Catenatus Western Massasauga Rattlesnake Massasauga Rattlesnake Range Map Published on January 7th 2017 by staff under Snakes. The Desert Massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii, inhabits xeric grasslands from western Texas to southeastern Arizona and occurs in S. c. catenatus is rather shy and avoids humans when it can. Massasauga rattlesnake © Sterling Sztricsko. [citation needed] Both of these scenarios can be prevented by avoiding hiking through areas of low visibility (in rattlesnake country) when not wearing shoes and long pants and by leaving the snakes alone if encountered. The habitat of this species is further protected in Ontario by the Provincial Policy Statement under the Planning Act. Prepared for the Committee of the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), November 2001. v+18pp. Park / Campground Usage (day use, camping, etc.) Frogs also constitute an important part of their diet: Ruthven (1928) mentioned that in Michigan they made up the main portion of their diet. Adults feed mainly on rodents, while juveniles usually prey on reptiles, more often lizards in western populations and snakes in eastern ones. Massasauga Rattlesnake. Even experienced observers who search for the Massasauga as part of a test find a very small percentage of those in a search area; most hikers would walk right by a Massasauga, unaware of its presence. Common names of the massasauga include: massasauga rattlesnake, massasauga rattler (Ontario), black massasauga, black rattler, black snapper, gray rattlesnake (Iowa), little grey rattlesnake (Canada), muck rattler, prairie rattlesnake, spotted rattler, swamp rattler, víbora de cascabel (Mexico), dwarf prairie rattlesnake, eastern massasauga great adder, ground rattlesnake, Kirtland's rattlesnake, little black rattlesnake, Michigan point rattler (Michigan), prairie massasauga, rattlesnake, small prairie rattlesnake, snapper, swamp massasauga, swamp rattlesnake, and triple-spotted rattlesnake. VENOMOUS Description: This rattlesnake has a row of dark brown blotches that run down the length of its back. The species has also been designated as a Specially Protected Reptile under the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. In Pennsylvania, only four of 19 historic populations still exist, making it a critically imperiled endangered species. At present, there is no evidence of established breeding populations on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River (hence … The massasauga rattlesnake is the smallest of the three venomous snakes found in New York State, the other two being the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) and the copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix).Derived from the Chippewa language, "massasauga" translates to "great river-mouth" and probably refers to the snake's preference for wet habitats, including riverine bottomlands. No other rattlesnakes are left in Ontario. [18] It is becoming rare in Canada due to persecution and loss of habitat and is designated as "threatened" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC),[19] as well as the Committee on the Status of Species-at-risk in Ontario (COSSARO). NRCS activities to benefit massasauga rattlesnakes focus on the protection of existing wetlands, restoration of drained or manipulated wetlands, … Charitable registration # 10737 8952 RR0001, Tracking Massasuaga rattlesnakes © Peter Ferguson, Juvenile Massasauga rattlesnake © Joe Crowley, Charitable registration # 10737 8952 RR0001, Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, International Union for Conservation of Nature. In comparison, six to 12 people die from lightning strikes each year in Canada. Obviously, the odds of being endangered by one of these snakes are negligible. When threatened, it rattles or retreats under nearby cover. The milksnake has smooth scales, and those of the foxsnake are only weakly keeled. [2], According to Campbell and Lamar (2004), a population also exists in southeastern Colorado that is morphologically somewhat intermediate between S. c. tergeminus and S. c. The Massasauga rattlesnake is now a candidate for federal listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. Researchers have observed that Massasaugas will remain alert but motionless if approached. [4][16] It is found only near the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, the Bruce Peninsula, the North Shore of Lake Huron,[17] Wainfleet Bog, and Ojibway Prairie. Unlike these species, the Massasauga has a rattle, vertical pupils and saddle- or butterfly-shaped blotches down its back. It also contains specialized digestive enzymes that disrupt blood flow and prevent blood clotting. 36. [8] It occurs in various habitats ranging from swamps and marshes to grasslands, usually below 1500 m elevation. However, the rattlesnake that you find in Alabama is likely to be a different species to the one you would find in California. The Massasauga Rattlesnake, Sistrurus catenatus, is a diminutive species with a distribution in the United States which largely tracks the retreat of Pleistocene glaciation and the spread of grasslands. 2005. [4] The color pattern consists of a grey or tan ground color with a row of large rounded brown/black blotches or spots down the center of the back and three smaller rows of alternating spots down each side. It is Michigan's only venomous snake, and one of only two rattlesnake species that occur in the Great Lakes region. It also has three small rows of lighter colored blotches along each side. 214 King Street West, Suite 612 Toronto, ON M5H 3S6, © 2010 — 2020 Ontario Nature. The scales are keeled (ridged down the centre), which gives the snake a rough appearance). Merge. Only two people, however, have ever died in Ontario from a massasauga bite, both more than 40 years ago. For the Massasauga Rattlesnake, we considered critical habitat for the northern part of the species range as polygons with a 1.2 kilometre radius, based on the centroid of confirmed records of the species (2085 for Bruce Peninsula and 6726 for Eastern Georgian Bay. [24], Canada: southern Ontario along the shores of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie, Considered to be its own separate species as of 2011. Mammals and reptiles make up the bulk of their diet. [22], The diet of S. catenatus consists of a variety of small vertebrates, including mammals, lizards, and other snakes, as well as invertebrates such as centipedes. The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) is a unique and fascinating part of Michigan's natural heritage. Young massasauga are well-patterned but paler than the adults. Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake habitat doesn’t look like much from the road. Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because they are unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. In Pennsylvania, the species has experienced a rapid decline largely because of habitat loss. View an interactive map of the known ranges of Massasauga rattlesnakes in Ontario. Like all rattlesnakes, it is a pit viper, and like all pit vipers, it is venomous The belly is black with scattered light markings. The heat sensitive pits between the eyes and the nostrils are unique to pit vipers. and Wilson, R.J. (2001). A massasauga rattlesnake, like the one pictured here, was recently found in Jackson County when a Jackson County Forestry and Parks employee was … | Adults of S. catenatus are not large, ranging from 60 to 75 cm (24 to 30 in) in length. According to Klauber (1956), S. catenatus feeds on frogs more frequently than any other rattlesnake. Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) is a State Endangered Species and a Federally Threatened Species. In Ojibwa, the word “Massasauga” means “great river mouth.” The Massasauga is a habitat generalist and can be found in forests, meadows, shoreline habitats, wetlands, rock barrens, grasslands and old fields. The Massasauga rattlesnake Great Lakes-St.Lawrence population is currently listed as Threatened and the Massasauga rattlesnake’s Carolinan population is listed as Endangered under the Ontario Endangered Species Act, 2007 and Threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act. Believe it or not, before 1975 there was a bounty (a fee paid to people who kill "pest" species) in Wisconsin on rattlesnakes, paying up to 5 dollars a tail. The snakes need a wet field with a diversity of native grasses. Only two incidents of people dying from massasauga rattlesnake bites in Ontario have been recorded; in both cases, the victims did not receive proper treatment. 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