A “megaden” in Colorado has installed a camera system and streams live video on YouTube so the public can watch the secret lives of rattlesnakes.
The livestream is part of a community science initiative called Project Rattle Cam, where the public can help researchers study snakes. The camera system was designed and installed by faculty and researchers in California Polytechnic State University's Bailey School of Science and Mathematics.
The so-called giant nest is a “rare habitat” in a secret location on private land in Colorado. It attracts hundreds and “possibly thousands” of prairie rattlesnakes because of its rocky structure, which provides ample hiding places for the elusive snakes, Caltech said in a news release Monday. The solar photography system is funded “primarily through donations.”
“The public can tune in at any time to RattleCam.org to watch dozens of pregnant rattlesnakes sunning themselves, interacting with each other, and caring for their young later this summer,” Caltech said. The site hosts two YouTube livestreams – Colorado Cam and California cameras for viewing wild western rattlesnakes.
“Viewers can closely observe rare events, such as predators coming to nests to try to attack rattlesnakes, and thirsty snakes emerging in large numbers to drink raindrops collected on their coiled bodies,” Caltech researchers said. “Best Viewing The time is morning and evening.”
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“This livestream allows us to collect data on wild rattlesnakes without disturbing them, thereby promoting unbiased scientific discovery,” said project leader Emily Taylor, professor of biological sciences at Caltech. “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.
Taylor said allowing the public to help view the rattlesnakes has led to reports of “novel interactions,” including nighttime visits from rodents while the rattlesnakes are sleeping. Viewers reported their observations in YouTube live chat, even helping scientists identify each snake through its scale patterns, which are as unique as fingerprints.
Researchers say that although rattlesnakes are common in the United States, they are notoriously difficult to study in their natural habitat.
“We hope to eventually install cameras on snake colonies (gatherings in groups) around the world to help us better understand the behavior of these complex social animals,” Taylor said.
Meanwhile, student researchers at Caltech are using live streaming to conduct research.
Max Roberts, a master's student in biological sciences, is using live-streaming data as well as data collected from the giant nest's cellular weather stations to understand how snakes' behavior helps them maintain body temperature, avoid sunburn and conserve water.
A group of Caltech liberal arts undergraduates training to become teachers are using live streaming to develop a course called “RattleEd” aimed at engaging elementary school students.
“Students in third through fifth grades will look at snakes while working on their own science questions through supplemental arts, science and engineering activities to support their learning,” said team member Owen Bachhu, a graduate student in biological sciences at Caltech. Owen Bachhuber said. “The team will measure how children's perceptions of snakes change after participating in the RattleCam unit.”
Taylor said rattlesnake pups are expected to be born starting in August and will remain with their mothers in the den until the male returns from summer hunting to hibernate. The cameras will be shut down during the winter and power restored in the spring.
TMX report
