Ontario resident describes encounter with venomous rattlesnake

Coming face-to-face with a venomous rattlesnake is not something most people wish for, but luckily, one Ontario resident recently got to admire an endangered snake species up close without sustaining any injuries. 

In a post to the Ontario Day Trips Guide Facebook page, one Ontario resident described their encounter with a venomous Massasauga Rattlesnake on the Cyprus Lake trail just outside of Tobermory. 

“Thankfully, his rattler went off to let us know he was there,” the post reads. “My son stepped about three inches from him and I was next in line! 38 years going there and I have only seen one other…a baby one. Hear them all the time while hiking there.” 

The post has already garnered over 1,000 likes and reactions, with some calling the resident “lucky” while others quickly noted down the location where the rattlesnake was spotted and vowed to never go there. 

“You are sooo lucky to see one! They are extremely rare to see apparently,” while another person disagreed, writing, “Well that’s one place I’ll never go.” 

The Massasauga is a stout-bodied rattlesnake that usually grows to be about 50 to 70 centimetres long. The species is Ontario’s only venomous snake, although it will only bite in self-defence if it feels threatened or harassed. 

Photo: Mike Wilhelm/Shutterstock. 

The snake can be distinguished by its triangular head and its tail which ends with a small rattle that creates a buzzing sound when it shakes. The Massasauga’s body is grey to dark brown in colour with darker brown “butterfly” blotches down the back, with alternating blotches along the sides. 

The rattlesnakes can be found in a variety of habitats throughout Ontario, including tall grass prairie, bogs, marshes, shorelines, forests, and alvars. 

Non-pregnant females and males mate in lowland habitats including grasslands, wetlands, bogs, and the shorelines of lakes and rivers. 

In Canada, this rattlesnake can only be found in Ontario, mostly along the eastern side of Georgian Bay and on the Bruce Peninsula. Two small populations can also be found in the Wainfleet Bog on the northeast shore of Lake Erie and near Windsor.

In the past, the Massasauga was more widespread along the shores of the Great Lakes, however, the species now faces a number of significant threats, including persecution by humans, mortality on roads, and loss of habitats. 

The species’ Great Lakes-St. Lawrence population is threatened, meaning you can still find them in the wild in Ontario, but they are likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threatening it. 

However, its Carolinian population is classified as endangered, meaning that the species lives in the wild in Ontario but is facing imminent extinction or extirpation.