Science & Nature
Sssssensational News as Lincoln Park Zoo Celebrates First Birth of Endangered Native Rattlers in Nearly a Decade
Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes are a Great Lakes native. Hunted out of fear, these snakes are actually quite shy and likely to avoid humans, experts say. (Courtesy of Lincoln Park Zoo)
Lincoln Park Zoo is celebrating a baby boom of nine eastern massasauga rattlesnakes, the first new arrivals of this federally threatened native species in nearly a decade.
The tiny rattlers are the great grandkids of eastern massasaugas brought to the zoo in 2009, rescued from the wild and likely the last remaining in Cook County, according to zoo officials.
“People tend to fear eastern massasauga rattlesnakes because they’re venomous, but they’re actually a rather shy species and an important part of the Great Lakes region’s ecosystem,” said Dan Boehm, a curator at Lincoln Park Zoo.
That fear led to hunting and persecution of the snake, which, combined with habitat loss and the encroachment of invasive species, caused significant population declines.
Lincoln Park Zoo is part of a coalition studying the rattler’s stronghold in Michigan, where observations are helping to inform conservation plans.
Historically, eastern massasaugas inhabited shallow wetlands and their upland areas across the Great Lakes region. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers the snake a keystone species, playing an outsized role in the food chain as both a predator and prey.
Juveniles like Lincoln Park Zoo’s new arrivals are about the size of a quarter when coiled. Adults are on the smaller side for rattlesnakes, measuring two feet long on average. Their coloring — gray or light brown with large brown spots — helps the species blend in with their environment.
Younger snakes have more vivid colors and don’t have rattles, yet. Baby massasaugas start with a segment called a button and add a rattle segment each time they shed their skin. The rattler’s characteristic buzz is made by shaking these segments at a rate of 60 times per second.
Lincoln Park Zoo’s newcomers are currently being kept behind the scenes as they reach important milestones.
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
