Potter Park Zoo's Michigan Rattlesnake Study

Potter Park Zoo, Michigan State University and Central Michigan University are teaming up in a groundbreaking conservation study tracking the habits of two snake species native to Michigan.

Veterinary staff at Potter Park Zoo is participating in a collaborative effort to investigate the habitat requirements of Eastern Fox Snakes and Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes. Currently Eastern Fox Snakes in Michigan are listed as threatened. The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is a species of special concern but is under consideration to become a nationally threatened species.

Zoo Veterinarian and Animal Curator Dr. Tara Harrison said that information from this project will have widespread impact on future conservation efforts.

“The habitat for both of these species of snakes is diminishing, and the research we are doing helps to determine what we can do to better protect them for future generations to come,” said Dr. Tara Harrison, the zoo’s veterinarian and animal curator. “Conserving Massasaugas and Fox snakes also means conserving the habitat where they live and as a result conserving the many other wildlife and plants that are found there.”

The project includes researchers from Michigan State University and Central Michigan University. The research is funded through grants from MSU and CMU. In addition to leading the study, the zoo is donating facilities for surgeries and housing for the animals.

The study entails capturing snakes and implanting them with tracking devices to monitor their movements in their natural habitat. By the end of this summer, 26 snakes will have been captured for the project including 12 Eastern Fox Snakes and 14 Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes. Student research assistants from MSU and CMU collect data sent back from the tracking devices and map out the movements of each animal. Snakes will be monitored regularly throughout the spring and summer, and periodically in the fall for the next two years.

Dr. Harrison expects the monitoring to provide many valuable insights. "Our research in the past with the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake revealed that these snakes are able to reproduce yearly, a previously unknown fact on the habits of this particular species,” she said.

Potter Park Zoo annually participates in studies involving the conservation of the Massasauga Rattlesnakes. 2008 marks the first year the zoo has participated in research involving the Eastern Fox Snake.

Both species are protected by state law. The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is Michigan's only venomous snake and can be found in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The Eastern Fox is one of two species of Fox Snakes native to Michigan.

Visitors to the zoo can see the Massasauga Rattlesnake at the Bird and Reptile House, and can learn about snake conservation issues in conversations with staff and volunteer guides.

Potter Park Zoo is located at 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave. within Potter Park along the Red Cedar River in Lansing, Michigan. The zoo is open daily year-round, summer hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer. For more information, call 517.483.4221 or visit www.potterparkzoo.org