WESTERN MASSASAUGA
Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus
Description—The general body color is brown or gray. About 39 dark brown, oval blotches extend along the middle of the back while two rows of smaller blotches are found along each side. These blotches are narrowly edged with a lighter color.
Size—Adults average two feet in length; larger specimens are sometimes as long as three feet.
Young—The young resemble the adults but are lighter in color. Average number in a litter is eight or nine and they measure eight or nine inches at birth.
Distribution—Records of this snake are widely scattered throughout the state, including the following counties: Andrews, Aransas, Armstrong, Bell, Bosque, Brazos, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Clay, Colorado, Crosby, Dickens, El Paso, Gaines, Galveston, Hardeman, Haskell, Hemphill, Jim Hogg, Johnson, King, Matagorda, McLennan, Midland, Nolan, Nueces, Parker, Pecos, Roberts, Shackelford, Sutton, Tarrant, Throckmorton, Victoria, Wheeler, Wilbarger, Winkler, Yoakum, and Young.
This small rattlesnake is uncommon in Texas, although years ago it was plentiful in some parts of the state. J. K. Strecker in his Reptiles and Amphibians of Texas, 1915, states:
Mr. Luttrell of Claude, Armstrong County, informed me that he has often killed from 50 to 60 during one wheat season, but during the past four or five years he has not seen more than half a dozen a year.
Wet places, usually near swamps or marshes, are its favorite habitat. One of our most docile rattlesnakes, it is seldom inclined to use its rattle, even when almost stepped upon.
