if Vanderpump Rules Not enough hiss and venom for you, kid, does Cal Poly State University have a show for you?
Since July 11, a team at the school has been live-streaming a prairie rattlesnake’s “giant nest.” Viewers can watch thousands of venomous rattlesnakes, many of them pregnant, as they go about their business of snaking. During the day, they appear to mostly lie around basking in the sun, but the researchers say careful observers have the chance to see some rare activity, including defensive behavior against predators wandering into the nest or snakes emerging from hiding. .
Rattlesnakes typically lay their eggs in late summer or early fall, so there will be many new members of the nest. Unlike most snakes, rattlesnakes do not lay eggs, but they can give birth to up to 13 live babies at a time.
The livestream is part of the RattleCam initiative, a collaboration between CPSU, Central Coast Snake Service and Dickinson College to raise awareness of rattlesnakes and their importance to the ecosystem, while also understanding how rattlesnakes Maintain body temperature, conserve water and avoid sunburn.
The nest is located on an undisclosed private property in Colorado and can be viewed on Project RattleCam website or Youtube. Viewers are invited to tell the team about their observations, which so far include rodents bumbling into their nests at night. Male snakes are expected to return from the hunt in September, when large numbers of snakes will enter hibernation and feed will remain dormant until spring.
This isn’t the first time the team has provided the public with close-up footage of Colorado’s giant hives. Previously, they installed a static camera that took a photo every five minutes, resulting in time-lapse photography, but the new solar-powered camera will provide greater insight into the snake’s habits and behavior.
“This livestream allows us to collect data on wild rattlesnakes without disturbing them, thereby promoting unbiased scientific discovery,” said project leader Emily Taylor, a professor of biological sciences at Caltech. explain. Press release. “But more importantly, the public can watch wild rattlesnakes behave naturally, which helps dispel the biased image we see on television shows of loud, defensive rattlesnakes interacting with people who irritate them. Sexual, nervous snake.
The live broadcast can be a bit boring when the sun is at its strongest, so the researchers recommend viewers interested in live nature programming tune in in the morning and evening.
