Did you know Ontario has Rattlers in the wild

[nuno]

I was watching "The New VR" the other day and they put a warning out to campers to be aware of the Massassuga Rattler they showed some footage of the snake.

Has anyone else seen this

[Trace]

Hmmm... it's too bad I missed that segment! I would have liked to have seen it.

I did know there were venomous snakes in Ontario, and, in fact, I'm on my way down to the Georgian Bay area later this week to find some! WWWWEEEEEEEEEEEE

Cheers!

Trace

[Matt]

Ive seen quite a few massasaugas in the wild, getting thinner every year though :(

[dlucka]

Hey Trace!!

If you found some, take pic!!!
Good luck hope you found a lot.

[reverendsterlin]

lol, Ontario used to be home for a great population of timber rattlers once upon a time and I even think easterns have been spotted that far north

[JD@reptiles]

i found a few before... they are awsome snakes.

Jordan

[Jeremy]

Hey Rev,
When you say easterns what are your reffering too? Not C.ademanteus I hope? No way they have ever been found even within 1000 miles of Canada! Way to habitat specific of a sp and not very cold tolerant at all..

Anway, just trying to figure out what you ment. Sorry that you guys in the big C are horridusless:-( We have em here(VA) but they are in huge decline.

Take care,
Jeremy

[Gregg M]

Yeah, C. horridus are awsome....... I remember seeing them way more frequently than I do now........ I do know of a few pockets where they are thriving and in great numbers......

[Bearded AL]

I have heard of rattelers not sure which type down here about 25 mins from my place. AL

[JD@reptiles]

they are massassaugas around. but they are found around Georgian Bay not really around southwestern Ontario.

Jordan

[Jeremy]

Ooops!! Sorry about that!! I didnt even think about the eastern mass.

My bad,
J

[Yve]

The rattlesnake here in Ontario is called the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (sistrurus catenatus catenatus). I did manage to get a pic of one last summer on the Bruce but it was a week long search for me! There used to be many of them up there when I was a kid but they are now a threatened species and not so easy to find. If ya'll are interested in learning more about them chek this website:
www.terra-plex.com/sin

[Joe]

Trace I know a great spot up there if your interested give me an e-mail

[Dom]

I've never seen the Mississauga in the wild but i did get attack by the pacif rattlesnakes in the west cost while horse back riding about 6 years ago..

Quite exciting :0

[BoidKeeper]

I've got this great old book called The Snakes of Canada
it's by Barbara Froom, published in 1972. Original cover price was $6.95 and I paid $10. Anyway it list all the species in Canada and where they are found with a special section on Canadian Rattlesnakes.
It says that the last positively identified timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus horridus) captured in Ontario was captured in 1941. Then the book goes on to The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake ( Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) as being found in Ontario.
The book is great if you can find it definatly pick up a copy.
Cheers,
Trevor
Here is the cover.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/512/289the_snakes_of_canada.jpg

[Scales Zoo]

We live in southwest Saskatchewan, home of the prairie rattler, croatalus viridis viridis. The largest densites and hibernacula are 12 km from our front door. They began emergence on April 19 this year, and were out thick on mothers day.
We hope to travel to Ontario again to search for the Massassaugas. I used to look for them at Collingwood, when I lived out there. And on the Niagara escarpment west of Mississauga. Seemed like logical places to look, but never found any. They were either not there to begin with, or had dispersed for the season.
We have travelled to manitoba to see the garter snakes at Narcisse, but we arrived a little late in the season to see them at the peak of activity.
If anyone would be interested in exchanging photos of our finds this season, email Ryan@scaleszoo.com. We are collecting data on all the snake species, so hognose, fox snakes and all others are welcome.

[reverendsterlin]

lol, I guess that did come out sounding like a crot when I said eastern, since the eastern Massasauga opened the thread I didn't think to clarify. C.ademanteus I don't think is reported north of South Carolina. By saying that easterns are found that far north I meant that the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake has been found in areas of Southern ontario but I was under the impression that was the extreme northern limit of it's natural range.

[Jeremy]

Hey Rev,
Again, my bad. Your riught, it made perfect sense but I didnt think of Sisturus when I wrote my first post.

As for EDBs, they range historicly about a third of the way up NC from SC, on the coast but now have a greatly reduced range due to all of the usual poblems (mostly habitat destruction). They acn still be found in some areas of the state but it isnt easy from what I ahve heard.

Welp, sorry for the cunfusion.

All the best,
J

[aaron]

actually there are a few small populations of massasauga rattlers near the windsor ontario area(Ojibway nature center). If you go to www.ojibway.ca you should be able to find more info on locations in ontario

aaron