A Vital Member of Michigan's Ecosystem
This fascinating snake is not only a crucial figure in the local ecosystem but also a symbol of the delicate balance between wildlife and habitat preservation. Through understanding and respecting these shy yet sophisticated creatures, we gain insights into the health of our natural environments and the importance of conservation efforts.
The eastern massasauga is Michigan’s only venomous snake. It can grow to be 2-3 feet in length, and is relatively small but thick-bodied. It is famous for its rattle, which sounds like an insect buzzing. The massasauga is native to the lower peninsula of Michigan and several other Great Lakes states.
Although venomous, Massasaugas are shy creatures, striking only to hunt or for protection. They are rarely spotted and will flee or give a courteous warning rattle if you get near. You can stay safe at MBG by wearing close-toed shoes, keeping on the trail, and staying observant. These great creatures deserve our distance and respect.
Sophisticated Snakes: Bowties and Buttons
You can identify a massasauga by its showy skin, a pattern that resembles bowties running their length. This intricate pattern serves as camouflage against the rocks, leaves, and grasses of its habitat. While these spots are often brown over a tan or tawny base, some melanistic individuals can be so dark in color that their bow tie pattern can be hard to distinguish. You can also identify one by its ridged rattle at the end of its tail. Baby massasaugas start with one segment of rattle, called a button, when the snake is born. They add a rattle segment each time they shed their skin, which they do a few times a year, and lose old segments periodically.
What’s in the rattle?
Massasauga tails don’t rattle like a maraca filled with beads. Instead, they are made of interlocking sections of keratin, the same material our fingernails are made from. These sections can rattle back and forth over 60 times per second, creating the characteristic buzz of the Massasauga.
Pit Viper Family
Massasaugas are pit vipers, distinguished by small holes in their face that can sense heat. They use this ability to hunt, lying in wait rather than seeking out prey. Massasaugas primarily eat meadow voles and other small critters like mice, rabbits, birds, and other snake species.
A cross-section of a rattlesnake rattle with a single segment highlighted to show how it interlocks with its neighboring segments. Photo: Josh Cassidy/KQED
Ecosystem All Stars in Danger
Massasaugas are key ecosystem players, managing populations of small rodents like meadow voles, mice, rats, and even insects. While they are effective predators, they are also prey for large birds like hawks, herons, and eagles, coyotes, raccoons, and other snake species. The US Fish and Wildlife Service considers them a keystone species because, even in small numbers, they profoundly impact the food chains of their ecosystems.
Since 2016, the massasauga has been federally recognized as a threatened species. Populations are declining primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation and the encroachment of invasive species like buckthorn and honeysuckle into their meadow hunting grounds. These non-native species grow prolifically, casting shadows into the open areas massasaugas need to thermoregulate and hunt. Massasaugas were once widely hunted and still face increased threats of persecution. Many people are still innately scared of snakes and will eradicate massasaugas out of fear.
Look-alikes
Although Massasaugas have distinct characteristics, other Michigan snakes are sometimes mistaken for a Massasauga.
The Eastern Fox Snake
The Eastern Fox Snake has a similar pattern to a Massasauga, but its blotches are more rectangular than bow-shaped, and it is much larger. Its head is distinctly colored from its body, often reddish brown. Unlike the Massasauga, the Fox Snake does not have a rattle, but to make matters more confusing, the Eastern Fox Snake is known to imitate the Massasauga rattle, quivering its tail against grass to produce sound. Photo by: HRM
The Eastern Fox Snake
The Eastern Milk Snake has a blotchy pattern, too, but its spots are reddish in hue with a distinct black outline. Its head has a distinct y-shape, and it does not have a rattle. Photo by: Beth Weiler
The Eastern Fox Snake
The Eastern Hognose Snake is similar in color and pattern to a Massasauga but has a distinct face with an upturned nose and does not have a rattle. Instead, like its namesake, it has a curly tail. Photo by: iNaturalist