History is being made.
Thousands of pregnant rattlesnakes are coiled together in a “mega den” in Colorado, and a rare glimpse of their lives has been captured on livestream every moment.
California Polytechnic State University “Rattle Cam” launched As many as 2,000 rattlesnakes were seen slithering on top of each other in a remote, undisclosed location in northern Colorado on Tuesday.
“This is a very large den for a rattlesnake. It’s one of the largest that we know of,” Emily Taylor, a biology professor at California Polytechnic University who is leading the Project Rattlecome research, said Tuesday.
While they aren’t the only snakes still around, the livestream offers a rare glimpse into the lives of snakes — all of whom are pregnant.
At this time of year, only pregnant female snakes remain hiding in their burrows in the highlands, while males and non-pregnant females remain in their burrows for the winter before departing in the spring for nearby lowlands.
The babies are due to be born in August, and researchers hope to capture the exciting moment on video. Unlike almost all other reptiles, the babies are born live rather than hatching from eggs.
The snakes will remain in the burrow with their mother until the male snake returns for hibernation in September, when the livestream will end until next spring.
In the meantime, viewers can enjoy watching the slimy mommies sunbathing, interacting and occasionally snuggling in the Colorado sunshine.
According to Caltech, spectators will also be able to see unusual sights, such as a predator attempting to enter its burrow and a thirsty snake drinking raindrops from its coiled body.
For those who are really crazy about snakes, researchers have re-run the cameras for a third summer at a tiny rattlesnake den in California.
“This livestream allows us to collect data without disturbing wild rattlesnakes, facilitating unbiased scientific discovery.” Taylor said.
“But more importantly, the public gets to see wild rattlesnakes behaving as they should, which helps combat the stigmatizing images seen on television shows of stressed snakes making rattles to defend themselves and interact with humans who provoke them.”
Taylor said the livestream will also help demonstrate that rattlesnakes have inherited an undeserved reputation for being creepy and scary.
The webcams reveal that they’re social animals who care more for their babies and each other than some of our favorite furry friends.
“I try to speak up for the underdog and let people know there’s another side to rattlesnakes that’s worthy of admiration,” Taylor said.
With post wire
