prairie rattlesnake habitat

November 2013. Using a model and field-based analyses, Martinson (2009b) estimated that Prairie Rattlesnakes had a 6 - 30% probability of being killed during a single road crossing event on a road with an average traffic volume of 352 vehicles per day.

obs.). Is there an observed or inferred continuing decline in number of mature individuals? Canadian Wildlife Service, Saskatoon, SK. M.E.Des dissertation, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. Urban Herpetology. comm. Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Milk River, AB. The Prairie Rattlesnake is experiencing a continuing decline in abundance across its Canadian range. comm. Prairie Rattlesnakes can also fall into excavations, such as well caissons or pipeline trenches, and perish if unable to get out (Didiuk 1999, as cited by AESRD and ACA 2012). 2013a. City of Lethbridge Bylaw 5503. The species is not listed on the United States Endangered Species Act and is not currently a candidate for listing (USFWS 2013). In spring and fall they can be found basking, often in high abundance, at the entrance to their hibernacula. Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA). The global range of the Prairie Rattlesnake extends from northern Mexico, through the central U.S. and into southern Canada, which supports at least 3% of its global range. During the winter it hibernates in caves and in the burrows of other animals. Nicholson and Rose (2001) identified hibernacula in close proximity to oil and gas well access roads and noted road mortality of Prairie Rattlesnakes.

pp.

A location is defined as a hibernaculum or hibernaculum complex (see Canadian Range). In Saskatchewan, there are no provincially protected areas within Prairie Rattlesnake range; however, there is land that receives some protection. Biological Conservation 89(1): 39-50. Changes in the area occupied by the Prairie Rattlesnake may have occurred in the following regions: In order to discuss evidence for disjunctions within the Canadian range of the Prairie Rattlesnake, the ‘separation distance’ between potential subpopulations must be defined. Haugen-Kozyra, K. 2012. Figure 8. For example, cumulative landscape fragmentation, and associated degradation, was found to be increasing due to continued oil and gas development in southwestern Saskatchewan (Swift Current Webb Community Pasture: Nasen et al. Two estimation methods were used (see Table 3 for data): Extensive summary of litter size and age of maturity in USA is provided by Fitch (1998). For example, two, seven and 23 previously undocumented hibernacula were discovered during surveys by Rose (2001), Nicholson and Rose (2001) and Kissner and Nicholson (2003), respectively. : Martinson unpub. Web Site: http://icwdm.org/handbook/reptiles/RattleSnakes.asp [accessed Nov. 2013]. COSEWIC Secretariat c/o Canadian Wildlife Service Environment Canada Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Tel.

The result is that Prairie Rattlesnake populations in Canada are dominated by older age classes for the majority of the active season (Macartney and Weichel 1993; Didiuk 2003; Gushulak pers.

14 pp. Regardless, there are geographical and ecological barriers to movement which might create genetic structure or strong demographic isolation within the Canadian part of the species’ range. Frenchman River (GNP West Block): 2,500 individuals (Kissner et al. Extremely high fidelity to migration routes and hibernacula suggest that a very low proportion of a population is available in any given year to colonize new hibernacula and thus contribute to the establishment of new colonies. 2002. Control of Rattlesnakes. Prairie Rattlesnake distribution is restricted to the Prairie national ecological area and the Prairie/Western Boreal terrestrial amphibian and reptile faunal province (COSEWIC 2011a).

Illegal collection of Prairie Rattlesnakes for the pet trade is known to occur in Alberta. Furthermore, all respondents were willing to kill a Prairie Rattlesnake on their property if deemed necessary, but less willing to on someone else’s property or on public property (Campbell 2011). Email correspondence to A. Martinson. Using an average age of maturity of 5 years and an average annual adult mortality rate of 0.11, generation time equals = 14 years. Also, in Montana, Prairie Rattlesnakes are classified as a non-game species, and are not offered any formal protection (AESRD and ACA 2012). Prepared by TERA Environmental Consultants for MULTISAR and Alberta Conservation Association, Calgary, AB. The belly is off-white or light yellow and unmarked. Trends in IAO remain unknown. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management. Within the boundaries of National Parks (i.e., Grasslands National Park, East and West Blocks), collection and harassment of Prairie Rattlesnakes is regulated under the National Parks General Regulations, Canada National Parks Act. Immigrant rattlesnakes from Montana, in the border region, are presumed to be adapted to survive in Canada.

This happens up to five times in its first summer and around one to two times a year after that. comm. 2013).

Summary of most likely threats faced by Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) in Canada according to the categories provided in the IUCN Threats Classification Scheme (IUCN 2013). PROVINCIAL PARKS ACT, Chapter P-35.

In situations where a large proportion of snakes dispersing from a den are regularly killed crossing roads, population abundance is likely to decline.

2012. The background coloration is light gray, tan, or light brown with pronounced dorsal dark brown blotches ringed in white running the length of the body. Urbanization within the range of the Prairie Rattlesnake results in direct habitat loss, mortality of snakes, and isolation of populations. The prairie rattlesnake is an efficient predator, with many adaptations for hunting and dispatching small mammalian prey. Government of Alberta. The Biology of Rattlesnakes.

In Canada, Prairie Rattlesnakes are often associated with river and coulee bottoms, badlands, low shrub/sand dune habitat, sage flats, grassy terraces along river valleys, Cottonwood (Populus spp.) 2007), for a combined 89,440 km2 – 93,118 km2 of native prairie remaining (~ 41,440 km2 in Alberta and 48,000 km2 – 51,678 km2 in Saskatchewan: Jørgensen 2009; MacKenzie 2011; Saskatchewan Eco-Network 2013a). Harvey, D. S. and P. J. Weatherhead. In Saskatchewan, we estimate the number of locations to be 26 - 44 based on the following data: a) 26 hibernacula have been reported in the province by a number of separate field investigations (Macartney and Weichel 1993; Kissner et al. The act also protects Prairie Rattlesnake hibernacula and rookeries from year-round disturbance or destruction. General Description: The Prairie Rattlesnake is South Dakota’s only species of venomous snake.

Also, Prairie Rattlesnakes which tend to migrate long distances over uplands from dens to foraging grounds (see Dispersal and Migration) may have limited opportunities for encounters with suitable foraging habitat in heavily cultivated landscapes (Jørgensen 2009). 2014). Canadian Journal of Zoology. ARC Financial Corp., Calgary, AB. Rattlesnakes are most susceptible to catastrophic events such as large-scale illegal harvesting and alterations to hibernacula since these activities may rapidly and drastically reduce the size and alter the composition of snake populations (Gardiner and Sonmor 2011).

Saskatchewan Eco-Network. Long distance migrations witnessed in this species suggest that snakes from distinct dens separated by less than 30 km from each other have the potential to interact and breed (see Canadian Range). Molecular systematics of the Western Rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis (Viperidae), with comments on the utility of the D-loop in phylogenetic studies of snakes.

Long migration distances (see Dispersal and Migration) increase the likelihood of road crossings and encounters with vehicles. 2009. 1998. Web Site: http://econet.ca/issues/gsh/Env_Values.html [accessed May 2013]. Williams et al. July 2013. Municipally owned protected areas also exist in Alberta (Andrus 2010), although these areas are small in size. Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD). Given their dispersal characteristics, many snakes will cross anthropogenic landscapes and be subject to some form of persecution. Finally, Prairie Rattlesnake locations north and south of the city of Lethbridge are presumed to be isolated from each other as they are separated by more than 1 km of unsuitable habitat (see Canadian Range) and radiotelemetry data support a lack of dispersal between these locations (Andrus 2010). Edmonton father fined for keeping house full of rattlesnakes. At Pathfinder NWR look to the sky and you may see one of the largest, fastest, nimblest, North American raptors soaring or diving in pursuit of the jackrabbits or small mammals that are the golden eagle's main prey. Alberta Transportation. 2008. At the northern extent of its range, biological attributes such as delayed age of maturity, slow growth, biennial or triennial reproduction, small litter size, and high juvenile mortality result in populations that are slow to recover from declines (see Biology and Fluctuations and Trends). [accessed Nov. 2013]. Provides information on the prairie rattlesnake, including a general description of the species, its distribution in Alberta, habitat, an estimate of its population size, threats to its habitat and survival, management issues, and what the public can do to help ensure the survival of the species.

2009) and continue to the point of extirpation, we would expect at least a 30% decline in the number of Prairie Rattlesnake locations in Canada from the 1990s to the 2030s (i.e., 40 years/three generations). Threats Classification Scheme (Version 3.2). 86 pp. comm. [accessed Nov. 2013].

2011a. Source: Pendlebury (1977).

Yearly variation in adult population size at any given location is probably minimal under natural conditions, therefore, substantial variation in abundance over a short time period is likely caused by human activity. Accessed February 2013.

Martinson, A. 29 pp. Under this act, it is prohibited within National Parks to: 1) carry out any action that unreasonably interferes with fauna, or 2) traffic in any wild animal. Alberta Parks: Find a Park. The total number of Prairie Rattlesnake locations (i.e., hibernacula/dens) in Canada was estimated by adding separate estimates for Alberta and Saskatchewan. Alberta Species at Risk Report No. Home range size and range length estimates for Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) in Canada based on field studies. Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative, World Commission on Protected Areas, IUCN, North Vancouver, BC.

Existing hibernacula setback guidelines for Prairie Rattlesnakes appear to be voluntary on private land and only enforceable on public land (Government of Alberta 2011; Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment 2013b), and even then, these guidelines may sometimes be relaxed for specific developments (AESRD and ACA 2012). Source: Didiuk (2009). Large size makes rattlesnakes more likely to be accidentally hit on roads and easy targets for drivers intent on hitting them (Martinson 2009b). For example, overall loss of native grassland in the Canadian prairies occurred at a rate of ~ 0.44% per year from 1985 - 2000 due to the expansion of tillage (Alberta NAWMP Partnership 2008). Nature Saskatchewan does not currently have any lands conserved through a voluntary stewardship agreement for which Prairie Rattlesnakes are a focal or target species (Renalli pers. 2013. The longest recorded migration for this species is 25 km (straight-line distance) from a den (Didiuk 1999 as cited by Didiuk 2003); however, migrations of this length appear to be extremely rare. The prairie rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in the Canadian prairies. Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000 Chapter P-40. Canada: (Jørgensen 2009; Andrus 2010). Jorgenson (2004, as cited by AESRD and ACA 2012) estimated that Prairie Rattlesnakes had an 11 - 51% chance of being killed during a single crossing event on a road used by an average of 488 vehicles per day, and a 45 - 98% chance of being killed during a single crossing event on a road with an average of 2,566 vehicles per day.

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