Stay away from these rocks on a northern Colorado hillside. The area is home to hundreds of rattlesnakes. It’s a prairie rattlesnake den. The “mega den” is getting even bigger. Now that late summer is here, baby snakes are being born.
Scientists watch a livestream from a video camera near the den. They observe the babies, called pups, slithering around lichen-encrusted rocks.
Anyone can watch! The video streams on the Project RattleCam website. Ordinary people help with the scientific work. That includes finding ways to tell the snakes apart. Some snakes get names. Hello, Woodstock, Thea, and Agent 008!
On Thursday, the live feed showed a tangle of pups with tiny rattles. They have a lot of growing to do. A rattlesnake adds a rattle segment each time it sheds its skin. That usually happens two or three times per year.
God designed most snakes to lay eggs. But rattlesnakes give birth to live young. The adults protect and keep pups warm until they enter brumation in mid-autumn, says researcher Max Roberts. (Brumation is similar to hibernation. The snakes hide away and don’t move much during cold weather.)
The scientists often see “babysitters” in the den. Those are “pregnant females that . . . have not given birth, yet are kind of guarding the newborn snakes,” Mr. Roberts says.
Scientists also saw the rattlesnakes coil up to catch water. They drink from the cups formed by their bodies. Mr. Roberts studies how temperature changes and sunlight affect snake behavior. Another researcher studies relationships between rattlesnakes.
By November, the camera will turn off until next spring while the snakes brumate. When the weather warms, the snakes will emerge once again.
Most people think that rattlesnakes are fierce and dangerous. But experts say they rarely bite unless provoked. Still, keep your distance from the venomous snakes! The Bible says that one day, all creatures will live together in peace. Read Isaiah 11.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. — Isaiah 11:8-9
