|masə|sȯgə noun
or massasauga rattler
( -s )
Etymology: irregular from Missisauga river, Ontario, Canada
: either of two pygmy rattlers:
a. : a small rattlesnake ( Sistrurus catenatus ) widely distributed from New York across Texas into Mexico that lives chiefly in moist areas and feeds on mice and amphibians
b. : a rattlesnake ( Sistrurus miliaris ) similar to but smaller than the massasauga — called also ground rattler