Massasauga snake

Appearance

The adults are not large, ranging from 60 to 75 cm in length. 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. Solid black melanistic examples are also known, as well as cases where the back blotches join with those on the sides. Young massasauga are well-patterned but paler than the adults. It has heat-sensing pits on each side of its smallish head, the scales are keeled and the anal scale is single.

Naming

Massasauga, massasauga rattlesnake, massasauga rattler , black massasauga, black rattler, black snapper, gray rattlesnake , little grey rattlesnake , muck rattler, prairie rattlesnake, spotted rattler, swamp rattler, ''víbora de cascabel'' , dwarf prairie rattlesnake, eastern massasauga great adder, ground rattlesnake, Kirtland's rattlesnake, little black rattlesnake, Michigan point rattler , prairie massasauga, rattlesnake, small prairie rattlesnake, snapper, swamp massasauga, swamp rattlesnake, and triple-spotted rattlesnake.

The Native American word, "massasauga", means "great river-mouth" in the Chippewa language and was probably given to describe grasslands surrounding the river deltas in Chippewa country....snipped...

Status

This section possibly contains . Please by verifying the claims made and adding . Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ''''
This species is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is unknown. The E. Massasauga has been listed as a candidate species on the United States Endangered Species Act since 1999.

The Eastern Massasauga is listed as an endangered species in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri , New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Michigan, the only state in which it is not considered endangered, lists it as "special concern". The subspecies is a candidate for federal listing. However, it does not have any designation on the U.S. federal Endangered Species Act.

The massasauga rattlesnake is listed as threatened under both Ontario's Endangered Species Act, 2007, and the federal Species at Risk Act, and is protected under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. It is found only near the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, the Bruce Peninsula, the North Shore of Lake Huron, Wainfleet Bog, and Ojibway Prairie. 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 , as well as the Committee on the Status of Species-at-risk in Ontario .

In Pennsylvania, the species has experienced a rapid decline, largely because of habitat loss. Historically this has been due to human activity, and more recently primarily from natural forest succession. By 1988, the snake had disappeared from half of the counties that constituted its historical range. A 2003-2005 survey showed only four locations in two counties with confirmed populations. It is classified as "critically imperiled" to "imperiled" in the commonwealth.

Food

The diet consists of a variety of small vertebrates, including mammals, lizards, and other snakes, as well as invertebrates such as centipedes. Mammals and reptiles make up their bulk 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. Frogs also constitute an important part of their diet: Ruthven mentioned that in Michigan they made up the main portion of their diet. According to Klauber , ''S. catenatus'' feeds on frogs more frequently than any other rattlesnake. In general, however, frogs are not an important part of the diet, although this does seem to be more typical in certain northern and eastern populations.

Defense

The venom of rattlesnakes contains specialized digestive enzymes that disrupt blood flow and prevent blood clotting. Severe internal bleeding causes the death of the small animals that this snake eats. After envenomation, the rattlesnake is able to withdraw from the dangers of sharp toothed prey animals until they are subdued and even partially digested by the action of the venom.

''S. c. catenatus'' is rather shy and avoids humans when it can. Most massasauga snakebites in Ontario have occurred after people deliberately handled or accidentally stepped on one of these animals. Both of these scenarios are preventable by avoiding hiking through areas of low visibility when not wearing shoes and long pants, and by leaving the massasaugas alone when they are found. There are only two recorded incidents of people dying from massasauga rattlesnake bites in Ontario and in both cases they did not receive proper treatment. Recent studies indicate that Ontario hospitals in rattlesnake country often do not have anti-venom, as massasauga specific anti-venom is not easy to come by. http://metronews.ca/health/3715/anti-venom-crisis-in-ontario/