What does the massasauga eat?

What does a massasaugas snake look like?

Like all rattlesnakes, it belongs to the pit viper family. Massasaugas are grey or tan in 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.

Do massasaugas snakes migrate?

Unlike many other species of snakes, Massasaugas often migrate. In late spring and summer, they live in dry upland areas. In the fall they move to lower, wetter habitats, where they brumate in shelters during the cold winter months.

What do massasauga rattlesnakes eat?

Their heat-seeking ability helps Massasauga rattlesnakes find endothermic prey, such as mice, shrews, and small birds. But these snakes also eat a variety of ectothermic (so-called “cold-blooded”) critters, including frogs, lizards, and small snakes.

Is the massasauga rattlesnake poisonous?

The venom of the Massasauga rattlesnake is hemolytic, which means it causes the breakdown of red blood cells in its victim. Though the venom is highly toxic, there are very few reports of humans dying from a Massasauga bite.

What does a rattlesnake look like?

Rattlesnakes can look like other, nonvenomous snake species, like gopher snakes or eastern milk snakes, which enjoy the same habitats. Rattlesnakes often warn intruders of their presence by hissing or producing their notorious rattling sounds.

What does a gray rat snake look like?

G​ray coloration with dark brown splotches on the back makes gray rat snakes look remarkably similar to the timber rattlesnake, as well as other species. Since they inhabit the same areas, this can easily cause confusion when identifying snakes in the field.

How are eastern hognose snakes different from rattlesnakes?

Eastern Hognose snakes are pretty much different from rattlesnakes, although they occasionally bear cross-marking that makes them appear like rattlesnakes at a distance. These snakes also mimic rattlesnakes when threatened by coiling their bodies into an “S.” They also puff up their head such that it’s bigger than the body.

Do massasaugas hibernate?

Unlike many other species of snakes, Massasaugas often migrate. In late spring and summer, they live in dry upland areas. In the fall they move to lower, wetter habitats, where they brumate in shelters during the cold winter months. (This means they’re in a state similar to hibernation, but with periods of wakefulness.)

Why are massasauga snakes endangered?

Loss and fragmentation of Massasauga habitat in southwestern Ontario continue to threaten this species throughout its current range. Road mortality is also a serious threat to this slow-moving snake and is probably the most severe threat to this species in protected areas.

What does a massasauga snake look like?

The Massasauga ( Sistrurus catenatus) is a pygmy rattlesnake; most adults are only 60 to 75 centimetres long. It is brownish with saddle- or butterfly-shaped darker brown blotches on the back that alternate with smaller blotches on the sides.

Do massasauga rattlesnakes bite humans?

Despite its fearsome reputation, the massasauga rattlesnake is shy and docile, and avoids human contact whenever possible. If threatened, the species is most likely to rattle or retreat under cover. With a striking range of under 30 centimetres (12 inches), this snake uses biting as a last resort.

What do massasaugas eat?

Massasaugas are carnivores; they feed on small vertebrates, including mammals, lizards, and other snakes, as well as invertebrates such as centipedes. Adults feed mainly on rodents, while juveniles usually prey on reptiles: more often lizards in western populations and snakes in eastern ones.

What do rattlesnakes eat?

These snakes might also consume various insect types. It is especially young or small rattlesnakes that focus on insects. They will eat insects like grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, ants, wasps, cockroaches, termites, and many others they find crawling or hopping about. These snakes do not need a lot of water to survive.

Why does the massasauga snake shake its tail?

the Massasauga is very shy and prefers to hide or retreat from enemies rather than bite them; if threatened, it will shake its tail as a warning and strike only as a last resort to protect itself if it can not escape sometimes the Massasauga will share its hibernation sites with other hibernating snakes, amphibians and even crayfish

Are massasauga’s most poisonous snakes?

Massasauga’s most poisonous snakes are rattlesnakes, but they differ from most other species because they are part of a separate genus (Sistrurus rather than Crotalus). They are smaller than most Crotalus rattlesnakes, but this does not make them any less dangerous.

Where do massasauga snakes live?

The Massasauga is the only Ontario snake with a vertical (cat-like) pupil. Massasaugas live in different types of habitats throughout Ontario, including tall grass prairie, bogs, marshes, shorelines, forests and alvars. Within all of these habitats, Massasaugas require open areas to warm themselves in the sun.

What is a massasauga rattlesnake?

The Massasauga is a stout-bodied rattlesnake, usually about 50 to 70 centimetres long. It is Ontario’s only venomous snake, though it will only bite in self-defence if it is threatened or harassed. It has a triangular head and a tail that ends in a small rattle that creates a buzzing sound when the tail shakes.

What kind of body does a rattlesnake have?

The venomous pests have thick, scaly bodies and triangular heads. Coloration and markings vary by species, but rattlesnakes with gray, black, brown, olive, or yellow scales and banded, diamond, or spotted patterns are most common.

What does a rat snake look like with a wedge head?

They also have wedge-shaped heads bodies with a wedge-shaped head. Their pupils are large, an indication that it is nonvenomous. During the younger years of all rat snakes species, they tend to resemble a gray skin color, but as they go into maturity, their skin colorations differ depending on their species.

How to identify eastern rat snakes?

You can easily determine this type of rat snake because when they are full, they show spotted patterns or checkered on their bellies that are colored yellow, red, orange, and white spots. Younger eastern rat snakes tend to have a gray or white body that will eventually turn into black as they grow up.

Is a rat snake a reptile or amphibian?

Classification: Reptile. Description. Eastern rat snakes, formerly known as black rat snakes, are large non-venomous snakes between 3.5 and 7 feet (one and two meters) long. They have shiny black scales on their back and a light colored belly, and their throat and chin are white.

What does a grey rat snake look like?

Gray rat snakes are gray to black in color with a white belly. Southern gray rat snakes retain their juvenile markings, so they also have gray or dark brown saddle blotches. They are usually between 3 to 6 feet in length and have rough scales with larger keels than other species.

What snakes can be mistaken for hognose snakes?

There are various species of hognose snakes, so the Eastern Hognose can easily be mistaken for other hognoses such as Western Hognoses (common in the pet trade), southern hognoses, and plains hognoses. Despite their unique appearance, they are occasionally mistaken for various water snakes, as well as rattlesnakes due to their defensive posture.

Are all rattlesnakes poisonous?

Rattlesnakes are often the most common poisonous critters in an area. However, all snakes bite so, it’s advisable to never interact with snakes you cannot identify with certainty. It would be best to study the snakes around you to determine what makes them different from the venomous rattlesnakes.

Why do hognose snakes have different morphs?

The answer is that breeders have found by breeding different variations of the same species will yield unique patterns, colors, textures, etc. With that in mind, if you’re considering a Hognose Snake as a pet snake, you’ll have a variety of options to choose from. Additionally, different Hognose Snake morphs tend to range in price quite a bit.

What is the eastern massasauga rattlesnake?

The eastern massasauga is a small, thick-bodied rattlesnake that lives in shallow wetlands and adjacent uplands in portions of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Ontario. The eastern massasauga has been declining over the past three decades due to loss and fragmentation of its wetland habitat.