Appearance: Massasaugas are small snakes with thick bodies, heart-shaped heads and vertical pupils. The average length of an adult is about 2 feet. Adult massasaugas are gray or light brown with large, light-edged chocolate brown blotches on the back and smaller blotches on the sides. Young snakes have the same markings, but are more vividly colored. Other snakes that look similar include the fox snake, milk snake and hognose snake.

Habitat: Massasaugas live in wet areas including wet prairies, marshes and low areas along rivers and lakes. In many areas massasaugas also use adjacent uplands during part of the year. They often hibernate in crayfish burrows but may also be found under logs and tree roots or in small mammal burrows. Unlike other rattlesnakes, massasaugas hibernate alone.

Feeding Habits: Massasaugas eat small rodents such as mice and voles but they sometimes eat frogs and other snakes. They hunt by sitting and waiting. Heat sensitive pits near the snakes’ eyes alert the snake to the presence of prey. They can find their prey by sight, by feeling vibrations, by sensing heat given off by their prey, and by detecting chemicals given off by the animal (such as odors).

SOURCE: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service