Look Into a ‘Mega Den’ of 2,000 Slithering Rattlesnakes With This Live Stream in Colorado
Run by researchers at Cal Poly, the stream is part of a citizen science initiative that aims to change the public’s perception of the much-maligned reptiles
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You don’t want to bump into one while hiking. But on your computer or phone screen, Colorado’s prairie rattlesnakes are totally harmless—and you might even find them cute.
Just ask the legion of citizen scientists watching a live stream of these slithery creatures and reporting their behaviors. The camera is pointed at a “mega den” near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where up to 2,000 pregnant rattlesnakes are preparing to give birth and rear their young.
Perched on a hillside with plenty of rocks and places to hide out, the rattlesnake rookery in northern Colorado is helping researchers learn more about these venomous reptiles.
It’s also providing binge-worthy content for snake-lovers around the world. And, as biologists chime in to answer user-submitted questions on the live stream, they’re also hoping to change the narrative around these often-underappreciated creatures.
“This live stream allows us to collect data on wild rattlesnakes without disturbing them, facilitating unbiased scientific discovery,” says Emily Taylor, a biologist at California Polytechnic State University who leads the project, in a statement. “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.”
Called “Project RattleCam,” the initiative is a collaborative research effort among scientists at California Polytechnic State University, Central Coast Snake Services and Dickinson College that’s largely funded by donations. For the last three years, the team has also operated a similar live stream of a rattlesnake rookery in California.
They launched the Colorado stream—using a high-tech, solar-powered camera system—on private property in May. The exact location of the rattlesnake den is being kept secret to prevent any interference from the public.
Researchers will keep the camera feed going until October—24 hours a day, seven days a week. That will give them—and at-home viewers—a chance to watch as the pregnant prairie rattlesnakes give birth and rear their pups.
Unlike other reptiles, rattlesnake pups are born live, rather than hatching from eggs. And despite their aggressive reputation, rattlesnakes are very attentive parents. Females, for example, have been known to babysit the pups of other snakes. They’ll also use their bodies to shield their young from predators.
“Rattlesnakes are actually really good mothers,” Taylor tells Mead Gruver and Kendria LaFleur of the Associated Press. “People don’t know that.”
The pups are expected to be born in August. Then, starting in September, activity will pick up in the den as nonpregnant females and males return from hunting. The researchers will pause the live stream for the winter, then bring it back in the spring.
Prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus virdidis) live in North America, from southwest Canada to northern Mexico. In the United States, they mostly inhabit the central Great Plains, east of the Rockies. They feast on lizards, birds, rodents and other snakes, using their powerful jaws to bite and inject venom into their victims. Though rattlesnakes are predators themselves, they also serve as a source of food for coyotes, foxes, birds of prey, weasels and other animals.
In Colorado, they help manage the state’s rodent population, which, in turn, helps prevent the spread of disease.
“It’s important that if we don’t necessarily admire them, that we at least respect them,” Taylor tells 9News’ Marilyn Moore.
For the best viewing experience, Taylor recommends switching on the live stream in the mornings or early evenings. You might catch a glimpse of a predator, like a magpie or a red-tailed hawk, trying to steal a snake baby. You might see the serpents basking in the warmth of the sun. If it’s raining, you could catch them coiling up to collect water, then slurping it off their backs. You could see a pup yawn while cuddling with its mother.
“It’s a fascinating look at nature in action,” says Taylor in a statement.
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