{"id":38472,"date":"2013-06-10T10:00:47","date_gmt":"2013-06-10T10:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.nature.org\/?p=38472"},"modified":"2019-12-20T13:47:25","modified_gmt":"2019-12-20T17:47:25","slug":"snakes-on-a-cliff-rattler-research-in-vermont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.nature.org\/2013\/06\/10\/snakes-on-a-cliff-rattler-research-in-vermont\/","title":{"rendered":"Snakes on a Cliff: Rattler Research in Vermont"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Doug Blodgett, a biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, held the radio to his ear, listening intently to the persistent beeps. \u201cWatch your step, fellas,\u201d<\/strong> he says. \u201cHe\u2019s close. Real close.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cHe\u201d is a large timber rattlesnake that we\u2019ve been radio tracking<\/strong> this afternoon as part of a Vermont research partnership between The Nature Conservancy<\/a>, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department<\/a> and the Orianne Society. Telemetry had gotten us within a few yards of the snake. But the rattler remained hidden amongst the leaf litter, rocky outcroppings and fallen limbs.<\/p>\n\n

I didn\u2019t need to be told to watch my step. <\/strong>Over the past two days, I\u2019ve had plenty of hair-raising excitement: scrambling up and down steep cliffs, grasping at crevasses and climbing trees, all the while keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes under foot.<\/p>\n\n

We had donned snake chaps — sturdy leggings that a snake’s fangs couldn’t penetrate — and received stern safety warnings from Blodgett. We were given careful instructions on what to do in case of emergency. It was hard not to watch your step. Every step.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

But this wasn\u2019t just an adrenalin-filled outing. The research here is helping conservationists<\/strong> learn the movements, genetics and health of timber rattlesnakes at the northernmost part of their range, in the Appalachian Mountains of Vermont.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cTimber rattlesnakes are almost mythical creatures<\/strong> for many people,\u201d says Dr. Christopher Jenkins, executive director of the Orianne Society<\/a>, a foundation devoted to conserving snakes and other reptiles. \u201cThey inspire strong passions in people, ranging from fear to awe. And people have all kinds of ideas about snakes. But we wanted to study them to find out where they go and what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Timber rattlesnakes are listed as endangered in Vermont, and have not fared well across much of their range. For years, this was due in no small part to human persecution; people killed snakes relentlessly whenever they could. In fact, Vermont paid a bounty on dead rattlers until 1981.<\/strong> Today, more people value them as a large predator, as a symbol of wildness and as a part of the northern forest.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWatch Where You Put Your Hands\u201d<\/h2>\n\n
\"Biologist
Biologist Doug Blodgett scans rocky hillsides: rattlesnakes could be anywhere here. Photo: Matt Miller\/TNC<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Still, even for those of us who appreciate snakes, poking around their dens can cause some anxiety. As we approached our first snake \u2014 almost perfectly camouflaged on a rock ledge, the same kinds of rock ledges I had been using to steady myself for the past hour \u2014I felt a mix of fascination, excitement and gut-level fear. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Minutes later, we scrambled up a mix of rocky scree and vertical cliff faces. \u201cWatch where you put your hands,\u201d said Blodgett. \u201cThe snakes could be out anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

And so I found myself continually faced with a choice<\/strong>: grasp a rock that very well could have a snake attached to it, or tumble down a rocky escarpment. Hmmm\u2026<\/p>\n\n

But the fact is, there are very few places left in Vermont where you might realistically encounter a rattlesnake. Jim Wilson, a serious amateur herpetologist and volunteer trained in snake capture, once visited the sites throughout the state where historic records had indicated snake dens.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWith the exception of these few sites, I found nothing,\u201d he says. \u201cThe snakes were gone.<\/strong> Completely gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The research program aims to understand the fate of the remaining snake population so a similar fate doesn\u2019t befall it.<\/p>\n\n

\"Trained
Trained volunteer and herpetology enthusiast Jim Wilson backpacks out a bucket of rattlesnakes. Photo: Matt Miller\/TNC<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Last year, the researchers fitted rattlesnakes with radio transmitters that monitored their movements from hibernating den to summer range and back. They aimed to find travel corridors, where snakes breed, where they spend most of their time. This will help conservationists better protect the entire range of the timber rattlesnake.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Rattlesnakes den communally each winter, congregating large portions of the population in a few areas. Many of these dens are protected, but little is known about where snakes travel once they leave the dens.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe snakes congregate in the winter so we know where they are, but once they leave their dens in the spring, we didn\u2019t really know where they headed,\u201d says Jenkins.<\/p>\n\n

Track of the Rattlesnake<\/h2>\n\n
\"Biologist
Biologist Doug Blodgett captures a large timber rattlesnake that we had previously passed without noticing. Photo: Matt Miller\/TNC<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

The research yielded interesting results<\/strong>: the rattlers had a home range of about two miles, with some traveling as far as 3.6 miles from the den site. They avoided roads, which could be a significant factor in keeping populations isolated. The snakes headed to preferred spots for basking in the sun, hunting prey and breeding.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThese animals know where they are on the landscape,\u201d says Blodgett. \u201cThey aren\u2019t just moving randomly. Many people don\u2019t think of snakes as intelligent. Follow them around and you\u2019ll think differently.<\/strong> Rattlesnakes know where they\u2019re going; they know where they\u2019ve been.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The radio telemetry data are now helping biologists determine where snakes have been. But after capturing a full year\u2019s worth of data, it\u2019s time now to remove the tags. The snakes are tracked as they emerge from their dens, captured and the tags surgically removed.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOne of the goals of this project is to minimize its impacts on snakes,\u201d says Chris Jenkins. \u201cWe wanted to get in, get the information we need and get out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Which is why I\u2019ve been following researchers for the past two days.<\/strong> Many of the snakes had not yet emerged from the dens, as indicated by the slow, dull beeps issuing from Blodgett\u2019s radio. But one rattler \u2014 identified on the data sheet as Snake #111– had already scaled a cliff and was headed into the uplands.<\/p>\n\n

We had climbed up over the ledge and headed into the forest. The radio transmitter beeps became louder. Blodgett smiled. \u201cThese creatures jazz me up big time,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m never happier than when I\u2019m out here doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Now, it seemed, the snake was somewhere right around us. My mind transformed every gnarled tree branch on the ground\u00a0 into a large snake<\/strong>. I watched where I put every step. The detail of the forest floor popped out in vivid color.<\/p>\n\n

But we kept walking. No snake. \u201cWhere have you gone, Snake #111?\u201d Blodgett muttered to himself.<\/p>\n\n

He listened to his transmitter again. \u201cWe walked past him,\u201d he said. \u201cOr over him<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

We turned back, each step now even more intentional. And then, there he was: coiled at the base of a rock.<\/p>\n\n

Three of us \u2014 all on high alert, and two experienced snake catchers \u2014 had come within a few feet of the snake and missed it. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The snake\u2019s instinct was not first to rattle or strike, but rather to use its perfect camouflage to protect it from danger. A casual hiker in the woods would have strolled by without ever knowing she had passed within feet of a large rattlesnake. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

As it sat there, I saw the snake for what it was: a beautiful creature, perfectly evolved to these mountains, this landscape<\/strong>. A creature that can remain a part of the Vermont forest, if their habitat can be protected: an easier task now with the information gathered from this research.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cTimber rattlesnakes have been studied a lot, but surprisingly, there wasn\u2019t a lot of information on their movement patterns or key habitats,\u201d says Blodgett. \u201cWe can use what we\u2019ve learned for future conservation efforts<\/strong> to protect the areas that snakes are using throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"Beautiful
Beautiful country — but watch where you put your hands! Photo: Matt Miller\/TNC<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There could be a rattlesnake anywhere: Join researchers as they scamper up rocky slopes while tracking snakes in Vermont, all to gain a better understanding of the timber rattler’s movements, habits and health. Just watch where you put your hands. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":51313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":19016,"post_id":48233}}]},"cgs_exclude_from_tnc_science":true,"cgs_references":"","cgs_subhed":"There could be a rattlesnake anywhere: Join researchers as they scamper up rocky slopes while tracking snakes in Vermont, all to gain a better understanding of the timber rattler's movements, habits and health. Just watch where you put your hands. 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