Massasauga

Description

The massasauga is a small grey or tan rattlesnake under 80 cm with a row of large dark brown blotches down the back and three smaller rows along each side. The head is broad and triangular, and the rattle is small and produces a higher-pitched buzz than larger rattlesnakes.

Behavior

A shy ambush hunter, the massasauga relies on its cryptic colouration to avoid notice and rarely rattles until cornered. It eats mostly mice and voles in summer and rests through winter in crayfish burrows below the frost line. Bites are uncommon and almost never fatal.

Range

Three subspecies range across the upper Midwest and Great Plains of the United States, north into southern Ontario and south to northeastern Mexico. Habitat loss has fragmented populations badly, and the species is protected across much of its range.