第 0563 號，共 1 402 號

Western massasauga

Sistrurus tergeminus

需要看醫生很少致命，但被咬了需要看醫生。

咬吃：肉

The western massasauga is a small, venomous rattlesnake. It lives on the grassy plains and deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Its rattle is higher pitched than those of bigger rattlesnakes, so it can be easy to miss as a warning.1

分布在

Southwestern plains of the United States and northern Mexico1

北美洲

首頁

It is mostly found in grassland, on the edge of open woodland and on rocky hillsides. It often uses the burrows of other animals for shelter. It is most often found near water or straight after rain, and prefers dry or heavily covered ground.1

長度

35 cm 到 91 cm (1,1 ft 到 3 ft)1

最高速度

大約 3,4 km/h（2,1 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It mainly eats rodents. It may also eat lizards and frogs.1

Western massasauga 的照片 — Western massasauga。照片：LA Dawson。 CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Dark brown blotches stand out strongly against a tan-grey or light grey background.1
The belly is light, with a few dark markings.1
Adults range from 35 to 91 cm in total length, tail included.1
It has a rattle, but it is higher pitched than the rattles of larger rattlesnakes.1

常被誤認為： Its colour pattern is similar to that of the eastern massasauga, but paler. The dark brown blotches contrast more strongly with its light ground colour.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Its venom is a powerful hemotoxin, which damages blood and tissue. It can cause swelling, necrosis (death of body tissue) and severe pain. Its yield is low, so each bite delivers less venom than a larger rattlesnake's bite would.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 嚴重被咬了需要看醫生。死亡案例非常罕見。

Its bite is less severe than that of larger rattlesnakes because it delivers less venom. Even so, the bite can be fatal if it is not treated.1

好消息：醫生有藥（抗毒血清）或治療方法。1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

Its rattle is not a reliable warning, because its high pitch is easy to miss.1

如果牠咬人

Treatment should be sought immediately for any venomous snake bite. The antivenin CroFab is not specific to this snake, but it can be used to treat severe envenomation from massasaugas.1
讓傷者保持不動和冷靜，讓被咬的手臂或腿保持在和心臟一樣的高度，取下戒指和緊身的東西，並趕快送醫院。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 2 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 5 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 110 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Western massasauga 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Western massasauga 大約 3,4 km/h (2,1 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

Its venom is as potent as that of larger rattlesnakes, but its low yield greatly reduces the harm it can do.1

It is nicknamed the buzztail because of its high-pitched rattle.1

It is mainly active at night and is considered mild-mannered and sluggish, especially in summer, when it is sometimes found basking.1

It was once considered a subspecies of the eastern massasauga.1

破解迷思

迷思： A rattle always gives a clear warning before a rattlesnake bites.

真相： The western massasauga's rattle is higher pitched than those of larger rattlesnakes, so it should not be relied on as a warning.1

給毒液專家

學名: Sistrurus tergeminus
類群: 響尾蛇
家人: Viperidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 北美洲
牠在野外的狀況: Vulnerable (the desert massasauga subspecies, according to NatureServe)1
對人的危險: 3 / 5: 嚴重3