Some persons are afraid of snakes, some respect them however do not wish to be close to them, and others love them.
But regardless of how you are feeling about snakes, they’re essential to preserving our native ecosystems in verify by performing as an necessary class of predators.
“We do not wish to kill all of the mountain lions on the planet, and we do not wish to kill all of the wolves and coyotes as a result of they’re so necessary, like purposeful elements of pure techniques. I need folks to have the ability to lengthen that pondering to snakes as a result of people historically have a fraught relationship with snakes,” mentioned Rulon Clark, a professor of biology at San Diego State University.
That’s why a brand new analysis undertaking is working to assist us higher perceive snakes, utilizing new know-how. Their slithery and elusive behaviors have historically made them laborious to review in nature. Researchers say snakes additionally are inclined to behave in a different way once they know they’re being watched.
“We know little about them by way of type of the day-to-day interactions they’ve between one another and with their very own prey objects and with different animals locally,” mentioned Clark.
San Diego State University has teamed up with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to review rattlesnakes particularly. They’re utilizing a particular type of tracker to connect to the snakes, so we are able to study extra about their actions once they’re being themselves.
“It’s actually much like the gadgets that people use to trace like steps or train,” mentioned Clark.
“Those gadgets have very small acceleration readers— accelerometers— in them. They can document a whole lot of occasions a second. Ours document at about 25 values per second. So if I’ve one on my hand and I transfer it, it data acceleration within the ahead, within the up and down, and within the side-to-side planes.”
With this data, we are able to study the place rattlesnakes usually tend to be. That may assist us on the climbing path to look out for them, and ensure we preserve our distance.
On a bigger scale, this examine may assist pinpoint the place rattlesnakes may gain advantage from wildlife crossings. That approach they’re much less prone to be run over by automobiles and may proceed preserving our ecosystem in verify.
Researchers additionally hope to develop on the know-how they’re utilizing with this undertaking, so extra animals which are troublesome to watch in nature could be studied.
