Researchers from Dickinson College and Cal Poly Launch Community Science Project to Study Rattlesnakes

Scott Boback

Madi McIntyre '22 (left) writes field notes as she and Professor of Biology Scott Boback (right) record rain harvesting behaviors of a rattlesnake in situ immediately following rain simulation. The camera trap in the background generates time lapse photos used in a new community science project on Zooniverse.org (Project RattleCam). Photo by John Saunders.

New project allows researchers to spy on snakes for science

A multi-university team, including researchers from Dickinson College and Cal Poly, has launched a community science project that seeks to understand rattlesnake behavior using remote cameras to view them in their natural habitat. Project RattleCam, which is hosted on the Zooniverse community science website, gives members of the public the chance to analyze thousands of time lapse images taken at rattlesnake dens near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

“This is an immensely powerful tool that has only recently been developed. We’ve had cameras for years but now they are durable, robust and capable of taking high-quality images and video that provide a window into the lives of these snakes,” said Biology Professor Scott Boback, who co-leads the project. “Behaviors we observe at this location will help us understand the species in general and perhaps show us how they are capable of surviving in this high-altitude climate.”

Members of the public can register for a free Zooniverse account and immediately begin assisting with research by answering questions about the photos, including how many adult and baby snakes are in each photo, identifying predators and more.

“Community science is a way of bringing the process of discovery to people from all walks of life, improving the accessibility of science,” said Cal Poly Biology Professor Emily Taylor, who co-leads the project. “We are really excited to work with community scientists to discover the secrets of rattlesnake behavior. There’s so much we don’t know yet about these fascinating creatures.”

Scientists estimate that the den of prairie rattlesnakes, located on a private ranch, has at least 1,500 snakes. The photos will allow researchers to characterize rattlesnake maternal care, learn how they obtain water in this extremely dry habitat, examine whether the rattlesnakes preferentially spend time with certain individuals—a behavior similar to humans having friends—and determine what predators eat the rattlesnakes.  

“So many rattlesnakes in one place is a scientist’s dream come true because we can more easily collect data and, in this case, spy on large aggregations of the snakes to learn about rarely seen social behavior like mother rattlesnakes caring for their newborn pups,” said Boback, a renowned expert whose groundbreaking research on snakes, including the invasive brown tree snake and constrictors such as boas and the Burmese python, have garnered significant media attention in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NatGeo, Smithsonian magazine and on the BBC and The Discovery Channel, among others.

Often portrayed as barbarous and scary, rattlesnakes are actually secretive creatures that do not want to bite people. “If people could just see the rattlesnakes in person, they would realize how gentle they are, and people might not be so likely to kill rattlesnakes,” said Taylor. “Project RattleCam allows people to see the rattlesnakes behaving naturally, in a virtual setting.”

“If we can better understand rattlesnakes, their behavior and their relationships, a whole world of questions and answers opens up. Building a relationship with wildlife, especially those perceived as vicious or bad, can help humans better understand ourselves and the world around us,” said Madi McIntyre, ’22, a biology and anthropology major on the team of student researchers. 

In the future, the research team will add cameras that live-stream to YouTube. “Soon you all can tune in to watch rattlesnakes sunning themselves live from your own desk,” Taylor said.

Learn more about Boback's snake research "Dickinson Professors Probe the Unseen World of Rattlesnake Dens"

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Published June 23, 2021