The Science in Saving the Massasauga Rattlesnake

Follow Michael Colley from Laurentian University as he discovers the threats facing the Massasauga Rattlesnake and how to save it.
Filmed at Killbear Provincial Park, Ontario
Directed by Franco Mariotti & Ryan Mariotti
Cinematography by Mariotti Visuals
In association with Science North
Sound Design & Composition by Daniel Bedard
Special Thanks To
Ontario Parks
Friends of Killbear
Laurentian University
For inquiries on using these videos for educational purposes, please contact me through my website RyanMariotti.com

[@declanesquire]

To the Ojibwa of Georgian Bay the Massasauga was a protector of the land, a reminder to tread lightly and only take what one needed. Great video.

[@RyanMariotti]

That's a beautiful reminder Declan, I just finished Braiding SweetGrass. It really dove deep into that idea.

[@declanesquire]

@@RyanMariotti Me too - lovely book. If you want to learn more about the Massasauga Ojibwa of the area I recommend the resource, 'The Ojibwa Indians of Parry Island, their social and religious life; Jenness, D.' (1930's) It is archived by the government of Canada and is an incredible insight to indigenous customs and their relationship with nature.

[@evanat9839]

Ojibway are colonizers , Ontario is cree land.

[@Redline6ix]

@@declanesquirethank you so much,

[@atroxarmy7239]

One of my favorite Rattlesnakes!

[@garycarrigan7972]

A truly intelligent method to ensure that these unique reptiles get the protection they dearly need. In my opinion, there are no bad snakes, only those who are not informed. Keep up the excellent work!!

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

Right, except that it’s people who are not informed, not the snakes. Thanks for the chuckle! Not laughing at you, it’s an easy enough mistake but it does sound funny reading it. 😁 Save the Massasaugas! Beautiful creatures, and vital to the ecosystem.

[@donnielewis6958]

Beautiful Animals Long live the Michigan Sp Massasauga

[@dont.hollarberry8370]

thanks for your work bro. very cool.

[@nadiabrook7871]

VERY INFORMATIVE!!!!! THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT VIDEO!!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!! GREETINGS FROM THE UK!!!!

[@BradyDoesntMiss]

beautiful snake!

[@realtruth716]

Love it pals, i know this is 6 years later but we never used to see Massauga's but lately we have a breeding pair and probably more on North Shore road in Pointe Au Baril just north of you..

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

This creature’s habitat ranges all the way down to the southwest and into Mexico. It’s a real beauty, the Massasauga. Nice work in protecting this vital species.

[@froganesce]

This is apparently Michigan's only venomous snake but I don't care I like it and I wanna help it☺

[@DPWian]

Which is why I searched this snake tonight. As a fellow Michigander my grandfather would always tell me stories about this snake about it being Michigan's only rattler and to look out/be careful while exploring the woods when we would go camping growing up..

[@dreeew141]

Up here where I live In michigan we have more venomous snakes such as Common and Eastern Garter snakes, Ringneck (Northern), Eastern hognose and a few others with very mild venom

[@jeremydennard6992]

As a floridian who has seen the rattlesnake population seriously decline in my life as a kid I saw one or two big snakes a week in the summer now as an adult I havent seen one in 3 years that's awesome what yall are doing to save this snake

[@anthonykeith5165]

The Eastern Massasauga is sometimes found here in southeast Michigan. It is a beautiful snake that is not aggressive and is unlikely to even be seen. They are a protected species. We have been lucky enough to have encountered two different ones in our travels and have photos of each. We have traveled the Bruce Peninsula (Ontario) three times and have yet to see one. I am not a snake lover but realize that they have a purpose and are a beneficial creature that should be respected and not harmed.

[@DPWian]

As a fellow Michigander my grandfather would always tell me stories about this snake also about it being Michigan's only rattler and to look out/be careful while exploring the woods when we would go camping growing up.. I live here in Canton and I didnt think they would be here in our SE part of MI because of how urban it is. I assumed they would be in Michigan farmlands and up north but its cool to know now they can be found here in SE MI...

[@brentbean7903]

We live in Southwest Michigan and found a baby massasauga buy our shed. Wasn't sure at first what kind it was but after some research it could be none other than Mississauga. We have a lot of creeks and ponds on or farm. Wife wanted me to kill it, but I talked her out of it pointing out that it's endangered and she would probably never see it again.

[@BradyDoesntMiss]

Me and my girlfriend spotted a baby one at the matthaei botanical garders in Ann Arbor. It was relocated by staff onto a nearby trail.

[@owensspace]

This life looks awesome

[@Bobby-wq5et]

I live in ohio and there are a few small populations left throughout the state, its always been a dream of mine to see one

[@keeganyost8123]

Same here.

[@hansbaeker9769]

I'm seen on the Internet that we have then in my area, but I've never seen one myself. Lots of prairie rattlers, but no massasaugas.

[@JEREMIELEE]

Good video

[@Lavender_Cordle]

I wish people would understand that these snakes were here before us. They have every right to live like we do.

[@RyanMariotti]

Millions do understand. Our goal is to get that number to billions!

[@dooleysmichiganhomestead8339]

Hi all Thumbs up, We got moved into our new farmstead. We dont have internet until July 12 so my granddaughter showed us hotspot or something. We will take many vides any videos. I can say more later Thanks The Dooley's of Michigan

[@SoundShinobiYuki]

I didn't realize you had another one! (Hi from the fowler's toad video). The Massassauga is another on my life list- my in-laws live up in Georgian Bay and every summer we're out hiking in hopes of finding, well, any snakes at all. We often find garters or storeria species, but the lifer for us is one of those shy, beautiful snakes. With habitat loss being what it is in Ontario it really feels like a race against time to find one before it's too late. (PS- The Aniishinaabe name for the Massassauga rattler is "Zhiishiigwe", and it was a great taboo to kill one as they were believed to be intermediaries of the Horned Serpent in the lakes.)

[@tinymud3324]

I believe I met you one time. I think it was in a Benson Automotive parking lot in Espanola Ontario about 2010 and you said you're a Snaker covering Manitoulin Island and you showed me and my buddy 3 snakes from the trunk of your car which I immediately back from because I knew what I was looking at and yet you handled them like pets. I was a Math a Physics BSc student at Laurentian back in the early 70's but never completed 4th year. My question is that I've seen a few Rattle Snakes in my life but WHY most of them don't have rattles like the one you showed me even though they are a heavy snake 3 to 4 ft long, light brown top skin with with black diamonds and white belly with scales that are not that evident. I think I understand the rattler builds a ring every year with shedding skin as the snake grows - But why do we not see rattles on the bigger snakes? Honestly I don`t mind the Massasauga Rattler but I hate the Parry Sound Water Moccasin. Them big long brown things that can drown a deer with hundreds of them winding around the deer until it drowns - Hate - Hate them . Ever come across a Pine Garder Snake - The biggest snake I have seen in the north. Some about 8 ft long a 6" thick. North of Foleyet Ontario through to OBA along the Ruel of Land. Then there's the Copper Head or a Blow Adder found around the French and Pickerel Rivers. Small head, black skinny snake about 2 ft long with an orange belly that can blow itself up like a balloon and is venomous? Seen them as a kid but really don't know what they are today. All the Best to you Man - Don't get bit ;o)

[@RyanMariotti]

Hi Tiny, I don't speak for Mike on this necessarily, but I'm quite sure the snakes you are referring to without the rattler are milksnakes. Many ppl confuse them for rattlers and they even shake their tales in dry leaves/grass to imitate a rattler.

[@declanesquire]

I believe the Massasauge is the only venomous snake in Ontario... perhaps the larger 'rattlesnakes' you are talking about, that don't have rattles, are in fact mimic rattlesnakes. Notably the Fox snake mimics a rattler by shaking its tail when threatened. When it's tail is in some leaves this sounds exactly like a rattle. There are no water mocasins in Parry Sound (or canada) and they certainly cannot ' drown a deer with hundreds of them winding around the deer '. Water Mocasins are pit vipers from the USA and like all snakes live a solitary lifestyle. Snakes also swallow their prey whole and there are no snakes in Canada large enough to eat a Fawn let alone a full sized deer.

[@SoundShinobiYuki]

The "Blow adder" is the Eastern hognose! A favourite of mine. Threatened in Ontario, and only venomous to toads (humans won't usually get any worse than some swelling or itching). They flatten their heads out (making them look adorably silly with a :3 face) as a threat posture, and if really provoked will usually play dead.

[@thehunterstruck]

We have a Massasauga, Prairie Rattler, Timber, Diamondback, and Pygmy. It always bows my mind when I see some states only have maybe one or two species. This is definitely the rarest species in Oklahoma in fact I’ve actually seen more Pygmy Rattlesnakes than any other rattler species in Oklahoma the Pygmy is actually the most notorious in these parts because they’ve bitten more people than they others the other ones normally flee from my experience

[@buffy2257]

We were fighting about what the noise we were hearing in the morning, whether it was a chipmunk or a massasauga rattle snake hehe

[@hansbaeker9769]

Just out of curiosity, what's the weight limit on those eco-crossings? I assume that you don't have a lot of large trucks using those roads.

[@RyanMariotti]

Hey Hans, since it's a Provincial Park those roads have to withstand pickups with trailers in tow so that should give you an idea of load requirments.

[@hansbaeker9769]

@@RyanMariotti Pickups with trailers don't amount to much of a load. It's nothing like a truck with a fully loaded trailer of rock, oil, water, ... . For a real load, there are helium transports which are, I think, about the heaviest loaded trucks on the highways.

[@RyanMariotti]

@@hansbaeker9769 I'm confident the engineers have accounted for that. Wherever they put a culvert they can have an underpass.

[@hansbaeker9769]

@@RyanMariotti Fair enough. They just didn't appear to me to be substantial enough for really heavy loads, but appearances can be deceiving. By the way, it must be great to have a job that lets you ride bicycles miles a day through parks to look for snakes. FWIW, according to reports my area has massasauga rattlesnakes but I've never seen one. I've encountered plenty of prairie rattlers (even fell on one once) but never, to my knowledge, a massasauga.

[@dkzander]

Hey there! Are you still actively working with the massasaugas? I think I found a baby one in Wisconsin and desperately need help in identifying this. Is there any chance you could help me please? I do have a video of it!

[@RyanMariotti]

Hey Dona, I the filmmaker who made this video. Not the herpetologist. I recommend you contact your local science center or zoo and show them your evidence. Would be great if you found one! Best to let it do its thing.

[@RyanMariotti]

Or university biology dept.

[@robertyoung3992]

I think but not certain that's maximum length is 36 inches long 3 feet

[@sthui2866]

36 inches is roughly the same as 3 feet

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

@@sthui2866 That’s what he stated - exactly.

[@sthui2866]

@@mynamedoesntmatter8652 oh, i probably misread the comment.

[@fawnwoods51]

My only problem with this snake is you can accidentally step on it.

[@RyanMariotti]

But that is exactly why they rattle Fawn, to kindly let you know where they are so you don't accidentally step on it!

[@triplestripe7071]

No step on snek

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

How often are you thinking you’ll “accidentally step on” a Massasauga? They’re shy creatures who live in their natural habitats. Are you a regular visitor to their natural habitats?

[@wasteddude9387]

Big deal. My granny catches a few rattlesnakes every day. Been there done that. Yaaaawwwn.

[@F_antomas]

Stupid