Rattlesnake Research Story

[NicoleRussell]

Researchers Study Rattlesnakes With Large Antenna

(
CBS4) BOULDER, Colo. Two men are on a mission to track and study
rattlesnakes in Colorado. But it's not easy. So they're using small radio
transmitters and their large antenna and receiver.

The distinct sound of a rattlesnake is something most people don't want to
hear.

"Even if you have never heard it before, you know what it is," says Dr.
Kevin Fitzgerald, a veterinarian.

According to the American International Rattlesnake Museum, the animals bite
about 8,000 people each year. An average of 12 per year, less than 1%,
result in death. The Museum says far more people die each year from bee
stings, lightning strikes, or almost any other reason. One-third of all
rattlesnake bites are "dry" bites, when no venom has been injected.

Fitzgerald and Bryon Shipley track rattlesnakes across prairie land in
Colorado. They want to lean more about the animals' lives.

"Somebody has to love them," says Shipley.

The pair wants to know things like how long the snakes live, how many babies
do they have, where do they hibernate, how far do they migrate, what do they
eat, and what's eating them.

"This is the best kind of gee whiz biology," Fitzgerald says.

The Rattlesnake Museum says the animal's role as an important link in the
food web far outweighs its potential danger to our well being. In fact,
rodent born diseases are probably controlled to a great extent by
rattlesnakes and other predators. Offer them respect, observe them from a
safe distance, and then leave them to perform their valuable ecological
function.

Shipley and Fitzgerald's project all starts back in the operating room.
Fitzgerald implants a tiny radio transmitter into the snakes. It has a 13
inch antenna stretching through the snakes' bodies.

"This is not something you should try at home," Fitzgerald says.

The transmitter doesn't slow down the snake, or make it a target for
predators.

The advantage is the transmitter narrows down the search area for
researchers.

What do people already know about rattlesnakes? Their rattle is skin similar
to a person's nails. And rattling is their way of making themselves look and
sound scary.

"Ten percent substance, 90 percent bluff," Fitzgerald says.

"They have quite a smorgasbord of prey items that they like to have,"
Shipley says.

Fitzgerald says people should always give rattlesnakes a wide berth. Their
venom can be dangerous.

The researchers hope what they learn will guarantee the snakes will continue
to share the planet.

"The enemy of the snake is progress and destruction of habitat," Fitzgerald
says. "But progress is inevitable, so if we can do it smart, if we can find
out about the snakes -- how much space do they need, so we can set aside
areas where people can always go and see them in their natural habitat."


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