https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237717107_THE_EASTERN_MASSASAUGA_RATTLESNAKE_IN_NEW_YORK_OCCURRENCE_AND_HABITAT_MANAGEMENT, https://waterlandlife.org/wildlife-pnhp/species-at-risk-in-pennsylvania/eastern-massasauga-rattlesnake/, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Black spruce-tamarack bog Reproductive success is also being investigated. Historically, this species was once considered abundant at known locations (Johnson et al. Integrating timber and wildlife management. International Symposium and Workshop on the Conservation of the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Sistrurus catenatus. In New York, massasaugas hibernate from late October through late April in low, wet areas, often under sphagnum hummocks. Locations that provide open sunny areas with elevated hummocks for basking as well as shaded areas for retreat are ideal. No. California Press, Berkeley. 1986. Body color ranges from light brown to gray with a row of dark brown to black hourglass-shaped blotches down the back. A wetland of mostly grasses usually fed by water from highly calcareous springs or seepage. Newborn snakes have a single button for a rattle. A new segment is added each time the snake sheds. Young are born from mid-August to September. In New York State, consultation with the Department of Environmental Conservation is needed. In New York, eastern massasauga currently occur in two large wetland complexes near Syracuse and Rochester, separate from one another and from the rest of the geographic distribution. The whitish substance is calcium carbonate, people used to harvest marl to lime agricultural fields. Milksnake is a thin-bodied snake with a 'V' or 'Y' -shaped mark on the head or neck and smooth scales. The northern limit of Sistrurus catenatus range is described as central New York and southwestern and west-central Ontario and extends south to extreme southeastern Arizona and the Gulf Coast of Fish and Wildlife Service. Movements and Habitat Utilization by the Massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus catenatus. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The adult massasauga, also known as the "swamp rattler," is a stout-bodied snake with a broad head. Adults are the best stage for identification, but juvenile appearance is similar. Conserv. 1993. International symposium and workshop on the conservation of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake Sistrurus catenatus catenatus. George Mason Univ. Available from: https://guides.nynhp.org/eastern-massasauga/. Sistrurus catenatus catenatus species assessment and listing priority assignment form. Monthly highlights - 16 July to 15 August 1986. in partnership with the Klauber, L. M. 1972. Therefore, neither populations in New York are considered stable. Milwaukee Public Museum. J. Herpetol. Delmar, NY. Although the massasauga rattlesnake is thought to be in decline throughout much of its range, 221 pp. Johnson, G. 1998. Sexual maturity is reached at approximately 3 to 4 years and snakes can live for about 14 years (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 2019). 2008). Subspecies no longer recognized. Many sustainable agricultural practices can benefit Eastern Massasauga populations (Western Pennsylvania Conservancy 2019).Educational materials that explain Eastern Massasauga biology might be useful in areas where the public has concerns about venomous snakes. Univ. 1994. of San Diego, Univ. Throughout its range, biologists have confirmed that less than half of the eastern massasauga’s historical population… Ernst, C. H. 1992. Otherwise, the two can be differentiated by the scalation on the head; the Eastern Massasauga has nine plates on the crown of its head instead of the numerous small scales found on the Timber Rattlesnake (Conant and … Spatial ecology, habitat preference, and habitat management of the eastern massasauga, Sistrurus catentatus catenatus in a New York weakly-minerotrophic peatland. These management techniques can be expensive and time consuming because the work needs to be repeated after substantial regrowth. 141 pp. Based on systematic visual … Plant remains do not decompose rapidly and these grasses usually grow on older, undecomposed plant parts. U.S. Additional studies are needed concerning population size, density estimates, age-specific mortality rates, and neonate and subadult movement patterns. Loss of habitat to development and agriculture, unregulated hunting, and snake collecting have all contributed to the decline of this species. Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake This is the smallest of the three venomous snakes in New York, with an average size of 1 to 3 feet in length. J. Wildl. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. Males and non-gravid female use similar upland habitat while gravid females remain close to hibernacula. (518) 402-8935. Based on this minimum, both sites in New York are vulnerable. Information for this guide was last updated on: 1984. Johnson, Glenn and Alvin Breisch. The U.S. Range in Ohio Today, this snake occurs in isolated places in glaciated parts of western and northern Ohio. 2000). Johnson et al. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation studies indicate a sharp population decline since the 1960s (Johnson and Breisch 1999). 2000). 1979. Endangered Species Unit. Online Conservation Guide for Marl fens may occur as small patches within a rich graminoid fen. The eastern massasauga can remain undetected with the help of its pattern, even at close range. Central New York represents the easternmost extent of the Eastern Massasauga range. Temporary road closures are another option, especially on managed lands (Johnson et al. Behler, J. L. and F. W. King. Paulmier. Upland habitats do not have the same protections as wetlands and risk fragmentation between seasonally used habitats. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. Albany, NY. The snake is light gray with a color pattern that includes a series of large, dark brown and black, middorsal blotches and two to three rows of lateral blotches. Snakes of eastern North America. 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. A community that occurs on cool, dry, rocky ridgetops and summits where the bedrock is calcareous (such as limestone or dolomite), and the soils are more or less calcareous. 625 Broadway, 5th floor. Females are slightly larger than males. Chicago Academy Science, Special Publication No. Prior. Press, Fairfax, Virginia. New York Status: EndangeredFederal Status: Not Listed. New York Natural Heritage Program. Habitat Management for the Eastern Massasauga in a Central New York Peatland. The population estimate is approximately 200 snakes excluding neonates in New York (Krofta 2007). The species have predominantly boreal distributions. They can also be found westward to the prairies of Iowa and Missouri. (Harvey and Weatherhead 2006, Johnson 1995, Johnson et al. 28:255-257. Fish and Wildlife Service protects the eastern massasauga rattlesnake under the Endangered Species Act. Currently, there are only two known populations remaining in New York, both of which occur in boggy, forested wetlands with "open rooms" of low vegetation. 2000). However, the rattlesnake that you find in Alabama is likely to be a different species to the one you would find in California. 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