massasauga

plural massasaugas

1. The rattlesnake Sistrurus catenatus (formerly Crotalinus catenatus) in the family Viperidae, found in three subspecies.

   The Massasauga is emphatically a species of the prairies and their swamps and marshes.

   1895, Leonhard [Hess] Stejneger, “The Massasauga. Sistrurus catenatus, (Rafinesque).”, in The Poisonous Snakes of North America. … From the Report of the U.S. National Museum for 1893, pages 337–487. With plates 1–19, and figures 1–70, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 414

   2 more examples

   I hope in this paper to contribute something to the knowledge of the Prairie Rattlesnake, or Massasauga (Caudisona tergemina).

   1887 March, “The Massasauga and Its Habits”, in The American Naturalist, volume XXI, number 3, Salem, Mass.: Essex Institute, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 212

   According to the zoologist, the massasaugas were found abroad from mid-April to late October, chiefly during the daylight hours and for an average 197 days annually during the study period.

   2010, John E. Werler, James R[ay] Dixon, “Western Massasauga”, in Texas Snakes: Identification, Distribution, and Natural History, Austin, Tx.: University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 407, column 1

   Synonyms: Caudisona black rattlesnake