Diet of a threatened rattlesnake (eastern massasauga) revealed by DNA metabarcoding.

Characterizing the diet of imperiled species using minimally invasive methods is crucial to understanding their ecology and conservation requirements. Here, we apply a DNA metabarcoding approach to study the diet of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (), a Federally Threatened snake found throughout the Great Lakes region. Eighty-three fecal samples collected across 10 different massasauga populations located in Michigan, USA, were sequenced, with 70 samples containing prey DNA.