Eastern Massasauga

Sistrurus catenatus

no photo — written note
photo: Wikimedia Commons
AnimalsSensitive species

A small, shy rattlesnake of northern wet prairies and fens, with a soft rattle that sounds more like an insect.

Field facts
HabitatFens, wet prairie, crayfish burrow country
RangeNorthern Indiana, very local
When to lookApril to October
StatusState endangered; federally threatened; venomous (Indiana DNR / IUCN Red List)
Look-alikesHog-nosed Snake, Fox Snake — no true rattle

Field note: It winters alone in crayfish burrows, often below the water table.

Lesson
Watching responsibly

Keep to boardwalks and trails; report sightings to Indiana DNR without exact coordinates.

Venomous. Give it room; bites almost always follow an attempt to handle or kill it.

This species is treated as sensitive: locations are generalised to county level and never routed to directly.

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