Installed at a large snake den in Colorado, the camera has already captured predator attacks, dare-devil rodents and some ingenious drinking behaviour. <\/p>
Rattlesnake researchers have installed a new livestream camera at a large snake den in Colorado.<\/strong><\/p> The livestream is part of Project RattleCam<\/a>, a citizen science project set up to allow experts to study rattlesnakes without disturbing them.<\/p> Offering members of the public an intimate view of snakes<\/a> behaving naturally can help to “combat the biased imagery we see on television shows of rattling, defensive and stressed snakes interacting with people who are provoking them,” says project leader and rattlesnake expert Emily Taylor.<\/p> The high-tech, solar-powered camera system is set up at a den in a remote, undisclosed location on private land in northern Colorado. The site’s intricate geological features provide lots of shelter for the snakes, making it perfect for a ‘mega-den’.<\/p> RattleCam<\/a> has already caught some exciting moments, according to observations reported on the YouTube live chat<\/a>, including predators visiting the den attempting to attack the rattlesnakes and the mass emergence of thirsty snakes to drink raindrops collected on their coiled bodies. Some public viewers have even seen rodents scurrying by the sleeping snakes.<\/p>