massasauga

A massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) in Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Possibly from the Mississagi River (Ontario, Canada), from French Mississague, Missisague (also Oumisagai, Michisaguek), from Ojibwe misiza:gi: (“inhabitant of the great river mouth, that is, the Mississagi River”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌmasəˈsɔːɡə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌmæsəˈsɔɡə/, /-ˈsɑ-/
• Hyphenation: mas‧sa‧sau‧ga

massasauga (plural massasaugas)

1. The rattlesnake Sistrurus catenatus (formerly Crotalinus catenatus) in the family Viperidae, found in three subspecies.
   • 1887 March, “The Massasauga and Its Habits”, in The American Naturalist, volume XXI, number 3, Salem, Mass.: Essex Institute, ISSN 0003-0147, OCLC 1480477, page 212:

     I hope in this paper to contribute something to the knowledge of the Prairie Rattlesnake, or Massasauga (Caudisona tergemina).

   • 1895, Leonhard [Hess] Stejneger, “The Massasauga. Sistrurus catenatus, (Rafinesque).”, in The Poisonous Snakes of North America. [...] From the Report of the U.S. National Museum for 1893, pages 337–487. With plates 1–19, and figures 1–70, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, OCLC 3419731, page 414:

     The Massasauga is emphatically a species of the prairies and their swamps and marshes.

   • 2010, John E. Werler; James R[ay] Dixon, “Western Massasauga”, in Texas Snakes: Identification, Distribution, and Natural History, Austin, Tx.: University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 407, column 1:

     According to the zoologist, the massasaugas were found abroad from mid-April to late October, chiefly during the daylight hours and for an average 197 days annually during the study period.

• Caudisona black rattlesnake (dated)

• massasauga on Wikipedia.Wikipedia