Locally abundant throughout much of the eastern two-thirds of the state, yet conspicuously absent from the Ozark Plateau and rare in the Drift Hills. Makes it into the western third of the state along the Arkansas and Cimarron rivers.
Smith (1931) commented on its relative abundance in Riley County and adjacent Pottawatomie County.
This species is found in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from arid open sagebrush prairies and rocky prairie hillsides to open wetlands. It seems to reach a peak of abundance in grassy wetlands such as Cheyenne Bottoms in Barton County, where Collins (1974) observed a dozen Western Massasaugas in one day, and Irwin and Collins (1987) recorded 26 of these reptiles from 1 May to 6 June.
Western Massasaugas are active from April to October. Like many other snakes, they are diurnal during spring and fall and prowl at night during the hot summer months. Much of their time is spent basking in the sun and waiting for food. During the winter, they crawl deep into rock crevices or down rodent burrows to avoid the cold.
The Western Massasauga mates in both spring and fall. Courtship involves the male crawling beside the female with quick jerking movements of his body. His tail bends beneath hers until their cloacal openings meet and copulation occurs. The young are born in July and August and are venomous at birth. The number of young per litter ranges from three to thirteen (Fitch, 1985), with an average of six. Species of Sistrurus are viviparous and placentate, with embryonic development supported by chorioallantoic and yolk-sac placental regions. As in other viperids, embryos are primarily yolk-dependent for organic growth, while placental exchange facilitates respiration, water balance, and ion transfer. The reproductive mode is best characterized as lecithotrophic viviparity with functional but limited placentotrophy.
Greene and Oliver (1965) recorded the Western Massasauga eating frogs. lizards, other snakes, and rodents. Brush and Ferguson (1986) observed predation on Lark Sparrow eggs by this snake in Stafford County.
Predators of the Massasauga in Kansas are unknown but may include large water birds in areas such as Cheyenne Bottoms (Collins, 1993).
The Western Massasauga was first reported from Kansas by Cope (1859) based on a specimen collected by William A. Hammond (surgeon stationed at Fort Riley, 1849 to 1860) and with the locality "Kansas". The oldest existing specimen is KU 55282 from 1888 and was collected in Franklin County (no other information). Say's (1823) original description listed the locality as "between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains" (with no type specimen). Smith and Taylor (1950) subsequently restricted the type locality to Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas. Restricted type localities carry no weight in nomenclatural priority.
Woodburne (1956) first commented on the isolated population in Meade County and adjacent Oklahoma. Small populations exist along the Arkansas River between larger contiguous populations found east of Kiowa County, Kansas, and west of Prowers County, Colorado (see Hammerson, 1999).
In Kansas, this taxon reaches its peak observable abundance in two distinct habitat types. The first is the upland grasslands of the eastern Smoky Hills, particularly above the Saline and Smoky Hill rivers, and the eastern Red Hills Prairie. This species is also observably abundant in the vicinity of large marshes such as Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, and Jamestown Wildlife Area.
Burt (1935) reported a specimen found under a rock in a prairie ledge one mile northeast of Otto, Cowley County, Kansas, on 6 May 1934.
Because of its small size, the Western Massasauga is difficult to hear when it rattles.
Based on a captive specimen, Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum longevity for this snake of twenty years and five days.
References
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Capron, Marty B. 1985. A western diamondback rattlesnake released in Sumner County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (59):5-6.
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Miller, Larry L. 1986. KHS 1986 spring field trip to Cheyenne Bottoms. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (64):4-5.
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rattlesnake, Sistrurus catenatus, in Missouri, USA. Biological Conservation 35:333-346.
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Miller, Larry L. 1988. Harper County KHS field trip well attended. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (72):5-6.
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Collins, Joseph T. 1990. Results of second Kansas herp count held during April-May 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):10-12.
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Collins, Joseph T. 1994. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1993. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):15-19.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1994. Results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):5-14.
Holman, J. Alan. 1995. Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles. Oxford University Press, New York. 243 pp.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1995. Results of the seventh annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (101):11-17.
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through Blancan Snakes of midcontinental North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15(1):79-95.
Collins, Joseph T. 1996. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (103):13-15.
Miller, Larry L. 1996. Results of the KHS 1995 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (103):3.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1996. Results of the eighth annual KHS herp counts Held 1 April-31 May 1996. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (104):6-17.
Rakestraw, J. 1996. Spring herp counts: A Kansas tradition. Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (March-April):75-80.
Dundee, Harold A. 1996. Some reallocations of type localities of reptiles and amphibians described from the Major Stephen H. Long Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, with comments on some of the statements made in the account written by Edwin James. Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany 30:75–89.
Hobert, Justin P. 1997. The Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) in Colorado. Thesis. University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. 155 pp.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1997. Results of the ninth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1997. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):12-17.
Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. 1998. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 1998. A Key to Amphibians & Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 131 pp.
Gamble, Jerre. 1998. Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hartford, Kansas. 91 pp.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1998. Results of the tenth annual KHS herp counts for 1998, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (112):11-18.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1998. Racer reproduction and diet observation. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (113):15.
Schmidt, Curtis J. 1998. Herpetological observations at Cheyenne Bottoms, Barton County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (113):15.
Collins, Joseph T. 1998. Results of the KHS silver anniversary fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (114):6-.
Rundquist, Eric M. 1999. Kansas Herpetological Society herp counts: A 10 year summary and evaluation. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):42962.
Taggart, Travis W. 2000. KHS spring field trip sets record for attendance. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (120):5-5.
Taggart, Travis W. 2000. Biogeographic analysis of the reptiles (Squamata) in Ellis County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (121):7-16.
Rundquist, Eric M. 2000. Results of the eleventh and twelfth annual KHS herpetofaunal counts for 1999-2000, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):11-16.
Rundquist, Eric M. 2001. Results of the thirteenth annual KHS herp counts for 2001, held 1 April-30 June. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):13-16.
Kingsbury, Bruce and Joanna Gibson. 2002. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Publication of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Address not given. 152 pp.
Fogell, Daniel D. 2002. Occurrence and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles at
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of
America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory
and Monitoring Network. Interim Report. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 6 pp.
Ellis, Mark R. 2002. Fall 2002 KHS field trip to Washington County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):4-5.
Taggart, Travis W. 2002. Results of the KHS 2002 fall field Trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):11-13.
Holycross, Andrew T., and Stephen P. Mackessy. 2002. Variation in the diet of Sistrurus catenatus (Massasauga), with emphasis on Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii (Desert Massasauga). Journal of Herpetology 36(3):454-464.
Fogell, Daniel D. 2003. A herpetofaunal inventory of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory
and Monitoring Network. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 59 pp.
Suleiman, G. 2003. Fort Riley herpetofaunal count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):11-12.
Platt, Dwight R. 2003. Lizards and snakes (Order Squamata) of Harvey County, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):13-20.
Taggart, Travis W. 2003. Results of the 2003 KHS spring field trip to Wilson County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):2-5.
Washburne, Jeremy. 2003. Geographic distribution: Sistrurus catenatus. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):8.
Collins, Joseph T. 2003. Douglas County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8.
Delisle, Jennifer M. and William H. Busby. 2004. Biological inventory for vertebrates at Fort Larned National Historic Site of the southern plains network. Natural Heritage Inventory, Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 61 pp.
Collins, Joseph T. 2004. New records of amphibians, turtles, and reptiles in Kansas for 2003. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (9):8-11.
Hobert, Justin P., C. E. Montgomery, and S. P. Mackessy. 2004. Natural history of the massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii, in southeastern Colorado. Southwestern Naturalist 49(3):321-326.
Mackessy, Stephen P. 2005. Desert Massasauga Rattlenake (Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii): A technical conservation assessment. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Species Conservation Project. 56 pp.
Patten, Tracy J. 2006. Spatial ecology and habitat use of the Western Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus tergeminus) in southeastern Nebraska. Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 110 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2006. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106 pp.
Bender, David J. 2006. Graduate research on the Massasauga in Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (18):8-9.
Taggart, Travis W. 2008. KHS 2008 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (25):2-3.
Holycross, Andrew T., T. G. Anton, Michael E. Douglas, and Darrel R. Frost. 2008. The type localities of Sistrurus catenatus and Crotalus viridis (Serpentes: Viperidae), with the unraveling of a most unfortunate tangle of names. Copeia 2008:421-424.
Nolting, Ray. 2008. Snake hunter finds rattlesnake in Neosho. Parsons Sun 1 May 2008:1,8.
Bender, David J. 2009. Population Characteristics and Diet of Western Massasauga in Central Kansas with Inference from Stomach Contents and Stable Isotopes of Carbon and Nitrogen. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 122 pp.
Hubbs, Brian and B. O'Connor. 2009. A Guide to the Rattlesnakes of the United States. Tricolor Books, Tempe, Arizona. 96 pp.
Murrow, Daniel G. 2009. KHS 2009 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (29):42769.
Patten, Tracy J., James D. Fawcett, and Daniel D. Fogell. 2009. Natural history of the Western Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus) in Nebraska. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (30):13-20.
Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. 2010. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas. Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400 pp.
Busby, William H., W. Dean Kettle, Jennifer M. Deslisle, R. Moranz, S. Roels, and V. B. Salisbury. 2010. Monitoring and Habitat Management for Species of Greatest Conservation Need: Anderson County Prairie Preserve. Open-file Report No. 164. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 99 pp.
Murrow, Daniel G. 2010. Kansas Herpetological Society spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (33):2-3.
Ernst, Carl H. and Evelyn M. Ernst. 2011. Venomous Reptiles of the United States, Canada, and Northern Mexico. Volume 1. Heloderma, Micruroides, Micrurus, Pelamis, Agkistrodon, Sistrurus. Johns hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to be held in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7.
Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Results of the KHS Spring Field Trip to Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):2-4.
Gibbs, H. Lisle, Michael Murphy, and James E. Chiucchi. 2011. Genetic identity of endangered Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus sp.) in Missouri. Conservation Genetics 12(2):433-439.
Kubatko, Laura S., H. Lisle Gibbs, and Erik W. Bloomquist. 2011. Inferring species-level phylogenies and taxonomic distinctiveness using multilocus data in Sistrurus rattlesnakes. Systematic Biology 60(4):393-409.
Wastell, Andrew R. and Stephen P. Mackessy. 2011. Spatial ecology and factors influencing movement patterns of Desert Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii) in southeastern Colorado. Copeia 2011(1):29–37.
Rohweder, Megan R. 2012. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151 pp.
Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 2012. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152 pp.
Crother, Brian I., Jay M. Savage, and Andrew T. Holycross. 2012. Comment on the proposed conservation of Crotalinus catenatus Rafinesque, 1818 (currently Sistrurus catenatus) and Crotalus tergeminus (currently Sistrurus tergeminus; Reptilia, Serpentes) by designation of neotypes for both species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 69(1):1-2.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2012 Spring Field Trip to Bourbon County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Summer Field Trip to Coldwater Lake, Comanche County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):5.
Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Fall Field Trip to Butler County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):6.
Mardis, Dexter and Kevin Scott. 2013. 2013 Kansas Herpetofaunal Counts. Collinsorum 2(3/4):7.
ICZN, Opinion 2328. 2013. OPINION 2328 (Case 3571) Crotalinus catenatus Rafinesque, 1818 (currently Sistrurus catenatus) and Crotalus tergeminus Say in James, 1822 (currently Sistrurus tergeminus; Reptilia, Serpentes): Usage conserved by designation of neotypes for both species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 70(4):282-283.
Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Results of the 2014 KHS Spring Field Trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):11.
Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Results of the 2014 KHS Fall Field Trip to Woodson County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):12.
Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Recent scientific and standard English name changes effecting the Kansas herpetofauna. Collinsorum 3(2-4):9-10.
Szymanski, Jennifer, Cathy Pollack, Laura Ragan, Mike Redmer, Louise Clemency, Kristen Voorhies, and Jonathan JaKa. 2015. Species Status Assessment for the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus). United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Fort Snelling, Minnesota. 102 pp.
Brown, Kasandra A. 2015. Occupancy Modeling Of Herpetofauna And Grassland Nesting Birds At Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 72 pp.
Hein, Steven R. 2015. An Integrative Approach to Species Delimitation in the
Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) with an Emphasis
on the Western Massasauga, S. c. tergeminus, and Desert
Massasauga, S. c. edwardsii in Texas. Thesis. University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, Texas. 80 pp.
Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Spring Field Trip to the Greenhorn Limestone of Russell County. Collinsorum 4(3):2.
Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Summer Field Trip In The Harvey County Sandhills. Collinsorum 4(3):3.
Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Fall Field Trip Held In Washington County. Collinsorum 4(3):4.
Ryberg, Wade A., Johanna A. Harvey, Anna Blick, Toby J. Hibbitts, and Gary Voelker. 2015. Genetic structure is inconsistent with subspecies
designations in the Western Massasauga
Sistrurus tergeminus. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 6(2):1-10.
McCluskey, Eric M. and David J. Bender. 2015. Genetic structure of Western Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus). Journal of Herpetology 49(3):343-348.
Dloogatch, Michael A. (Editor). 2015. Herpetology 2015. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 50(12):233.
Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. 2016. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494 pp.
Petersen, Christopher, Robert E. Lovich, and Sarah Stallings. 2016. Herpetofauna Biodiversity
On
United States Army Installations. Final Report. Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program, Arlington, Virginia. 82 pp.
Sovic, M. G., A. C. Fries, and H. Lisle Gibbs. 2016. Origin of a cryptic lineage in a threatened reptile through isolation and historical hybridization. Heredity (117):358-366.
Taggart, Travis W. 2016. Results of the KHS ‘Fall’ field trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 5(2-3):6-7.
Wastell, Andrew R. and Stephen P. Mackessy. 2016. Desert Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii) in southeastern
Colorado: Life history, reproduction, and communal hibernation. Journal of Herpetology 50(4):594–603.
Patten, Tracy J., Daniel D. Fogell, and James D. Fawcett. 2016. Spatial ecology and habitat use of the Western Massasauga (Sistrurus tergeminus) in Nebraska. The Journal of North American Herpetology 2016(1):31-38.
Crother, Brian I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102.
Mardis, Dexter R. 2017. Results from three Herpetofaunal tallies at Wichita State University’s Youngmeyer Ranch in Northwestern
Elk County. Collinsorum 6(1):8-10.
Taggart, Travis W. 2017. Results of the 2017 KHS Spring Field Trip to Elk County, Kansas. Collinsorum 6(2-3):6-8.
Mead, Joshua. 2018. Spatial Ecology of the Western Massasauga
(Sistrurus tergeminus) in a Large Interior Wetland. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 69 pp.
Petersen, Christopher E., Robert E. Lovich, and Sarah Stallings. 2018. Amphibians and reptiles of United States Department of Defense installations. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 13(3):652–661.
Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 2019. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192 pp.
Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. 2020. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86 pp.
Riedle, J. Daren. 2020. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data:
Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16.
Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Comanche County: KHS-2020-15. Collinsorum 9(3):13-14.
Riedle, J. Daren, Tamera D. Riedle, Zachary Riedle, and Greya Riedle. 2021. Herp Count: Stafford County: KHS-2020-34. Collinsorum 9(3):16.
Locklear, James H. 2021. The Sandsage Prairie ecological system: Biodiversity hotspot for the Great Plains. Natural Areas Journal 41(1):64-74.
Holding, Matthew L., Jason L. Strickland, Rhett M. Rautsaw, Erich P. Hofmann, Andrew J. Mason, Michael P. Hogan, Gunnar S. Nystrom, Schyler A. Ellsworth, Timothy J. Colston, Miguel Borja, Gamaliel Castaneda-Gaytan, Christoph I. Grunwald, Jason M. Jones, Luciana A. Freitas-de-Sousa, Vincent Louis Viala, Mark J. Margres, Erika Hingst-Zaher, Inacio L. M. Junqueira-de-Azevedo, Ana M. Moura-da-Silvaf, Felipe G. Grazziotin, H. Lisle Gibbs, Darin R. Rokyta, and Christopher L. Parkinson. 2021. Phylogenetically diverse diets favor more complex venoms in North American pitvipers. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of the United States of America 118(17):10.
Russell, Elisabeth. 2023. Habitat associations and fine-scale movements of the Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) in Kansas and the efficacy of remote telemetry for monitoring small-scale movements. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 81 pp.
Myers, Edward A., Rhett M. Rautsaw, Miguel Borja, Jason Jones, Christoph I. Grünwald, Matthew L. Holding, Felipe Grazziotin, and Christopher L. Parkinson. 2024. Phylogenomic discordance is driven by wide-spread introgression and incomplete lineage sorting during rapid species diversification within rattlesnakes (Viperidae: Crotalus and Sistrurus). Systematic Biology syae018.