| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Sisturus |
| Species: | catenatus |
| Life span: |
18 years |
| Egg Gestation: |
Around 135 days. Females give birth to live offspring during late summer or early fall. |
| Number of young at birth: |
5-20 |
| Age of maturity: | 4-9 years |
| Size: |
Can reach up to 30 in |
| Weight: |
0.5-1 lbs |
| Size at birth: |
9 in long and weighs less than an ounce |
| Description: | Have irregular dark saddles alternating against a lighter background. Their tails end in the namesake “rattle”, a collection of modified scales. Thick brown and black snake that has brown patches on its back. |
Facts:
- A venomous snake, but the venom is far less potent than other species.
- Massasaugas do not always rattle to make their presence known, and may only rattle at the last instant; the rattling sound is also somewhat quiet, and resembles the buzz of an insect.
- Overwintering locations include crayfish burrows, small mammal burrows, old stumps, rotten logs and moist poorly drained habitats.
