Description:

The Eastern Massasauga is a small to medium-sized (average 18-30 in/46-76 cm), thick-bodied, gray, gray-brown or brown snake with a distinctive color pattern of dark brown rectangular or saddle-shaped blotches down the back and two or three additional rows of dark spots along the sides of the body. The underside of the snake is either solid black or black with some light mottling. The tail has alternating dark and light bands and a segmented rattle at the end. It also has a triangular-shaped head (i.e., widens at the back of the head and narrows at the neck), vertical slit-shaped pupils, and large, heat-sensing pits or openings between the nostrils and the eyes. Newborn massasaugas range in length from 7-10 in (18-25 cm) and have a single button or rattle at the end of their tails.