(AP) — A “mega den” of hundreds of rattlesnakes in Colorado is getting even bigger now that late summer is here and babies are being born.
Thanks to livestream video, scientists studying the den on a craggy hillside in Colorado are learning more about these enigmatic — and often misunderstood — reptiles.
The public can watch too on the Project RattleCam website and help with important work including how to tell the snakes apart.
By involving the public, the scientists hope to dispel the idea that rattlesnakes are usually fierce and dangerous.
“We regularly see what we like to call ‘babysitting,’ pregnant females that we can visibly see have not given birth, yet are kind of guarding the newborn snakes,” Roberts said Wednesday.
This year, the scientists keeping watch over the Colorado site have observed the rattlesnakes coil up and catch water to drink from the cups formed by their bodies.
The highlight of summer is in late August and early September when the rattlesnakes give birth over a roughly two-week period.
Like other pit viper species but unlike most snakes, rattlesnakes don’t lay eggs.
“We are interested in studying the natural behavior of rattlesnakes, free from human disturbance.
By November, the camera running on solar and battery power will be turned off until next spring, when the snakes will re-emerge from their “mega den.”
Wyoming’s Cheyenne. (AP) — With late summer here and babies starting to hatch, a “mega den” of hundreds of rattlesnakes in Colorado is growing even larger.
Scientists studying the den on a rugged Colorado hillside are learning more about these mysterious, and sometimes misunderstood, reptiles thanks to livestream footage. They are watching the pups, which are the young animals, slither between the adult females on the lichen-covered rocks.
On the Project RattleCam website, the general public can watch as well as participate in vital tasks like learning how to distinguish between the various snakes. Numerous snakes, dubbed “Woodstock,” “Thea,” and “Agent 008” in a chatroom and among scientists, have gained notoriety since researchers uploaded their remote camera online in May. “.
The project is a partnership between Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Central Coast Snake Services, a snake removal company, and California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
Through public engagement, the scientists aim to debunk the myth that rattlesnakes are inherently vicious and dangerous. Rather, experts say they are frequently the opposite and rarely bite unless provoked or threatened.
Not only are rattlesnakes one of the few reptiles that tend to their young. Even their own children are taken care of. According to Max Roberts, a graduate student researcher at CalPoly, the adults provide protection and body heat to the pups from the time of birth until they go into hibernation in the middle of autumn.
“What we like to call ‘babysitting,’ occurs frequently—that is, pregnant females who are visibly pregnant but who have not given birth, kind of guarding the baby snakes,” Roberts said on Wednesday.
It is on private land—which the researchers are keeping secret to deter trespassers—that up to 2,000 rattlesnakes spend the winter. When the weather gets warmer, only the females who are pregnant stay, and the others move to surrounding areas.
Researchers monitoring the Colorado site this year have noticed that the rattlesnakes curl up and use their bodies as cups to collect water to drink. Additionally, they have observed the snakes’ responses when scaly birds attempt to pounce on them.
When the rattlesnakes give birth over the course of about two weeks in late August and early September, it’s the highlight of summer.
Roberts stated, “They know how to move into the sun or into the shade as soon as they’re born to regulate their body temperature.”.
There are 36 different species of rattlesnakes, the majority of which live in the United States. S. Though they are found in almost every state, the Southwest is where they are most prevalent. These, which are found throughout much of the central and western United States, are prairie rattlesnakes. s. and into Mexico and Canada.
Rattlesnakes do not lay eggs, unlike most snake species but like other species of pit vipers. Rather, they give birth to living offspring. Based on the snake’s size, Roberts states that a brood of eight is an average size.
Roberts is researching how snake behavior is impacted by variations in temperature and UV light. Owen Bachhuber, a fellow graduate student, is researching the social and familial dynamics among rattlesnakes.
The live feed is watched by the researchers all day. In addition, they are receiving assistance from up to 500 online viewers at once.
“Our goal is to examine rattlesnakes in their natural habitat, unhindered by human activity. “What are rattlesnakes really up to when we’re not around?” inquired Roberts.
Some males have been returning now that the Rocky Mountain summer is winding down. When the snakes emerge from their “mega den” again in the spring of the following year, the camera, which is powered by solar and batteries, will be switched off by November. “.
