In a scene that would make Indiana Jones shiver, Cal Poly researchers are giving the public a new opportunity to observe a “mega-den” filled with hundreds of Colorado rattlesnakes.
Researchers from Cal Poly’s Bailey College of Science and Mathematics designed and installed a high-tech solar-powered camera system at a Colorado rattlesnake den to observe hundreds of snakes and learn more about their behavior, according to a news release from the university.
That camera will livestream the den’s hundreds of occupants to YouTube and RattleCam.org 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Stationed at an undisclosed location on private land in Colorado, the den is the second location to participate in Project RattleCam, which also operates a livestream from a private ranch in San Luis Obispo County.
On a given day, a viewer can see rattlesnakes basking in the sun and caring for pups later this summer, with the chance to witness predators visiting the den and the mass emergence of thirsty snakes to drink raindrops collected on their coiled bodies, according to the release.
“This livestream allows us to collect data on wild rattlesnakes without disturbing them, facilitating unbiased scientific discovery,” Cal Poly biological sciences professor and project lead Emily Taylor said in the release. “But even more important is that members of the public can watch wild rattlesnakes behaving as they naturally do, helping to combat the biased imagery we see on television shows of rattling, defensive and stressed snakes interacting with people who are provoking them.”
In the release, Taylor said rattlesnake pups will be born starting in August, and will stay in the den until September for hibernation.
Data collected from the camera will help student researchers such as biological sciences master’s degree student Max Roberts get a better understanding for how rattlesnakes maintain their body temperature, avoid sunburn and conserve water, according to the release.
It’ll also be used by Cal Poly liberal studies students to design an elementary school curriculum called “RattlEd.”
“Third- through fifth-graders will investigate their own scientific questions while watching the snakes with supplemental art, science, and engineering activities to support their learning,” Cal Poly biological sciences graduate student Owen Bachhuber said in the release. “The team will measure how children’s perceptions of snakes change after participating in the RattleCam unit.”
Cameras will be turned off during the winter and will be available again the following spring, according to the release.
The best time to view the den is in the early morning or late evening.
“We hope to eventually install cameras on snake aggregations (group gathering) all over the world to help us better understand the behaviors of these complex, social animals,” Taylor said.
