A recent video shows images of wild prairie rattlesnakes in a Colorado den that is home to hundreds of the slithering reptiles. (Courtesy: Project RattleCam via Storyful)
A rattlesnake mega-den in Colorado is about to welcome some new members to the family, as pregnant Prairie Rattlesnakes are starting to give birth.
The public can get a close look at this spectacle through a 24/7 livestream on YouTube known as Project RattleCam, which is run by Cal Poly, Central Coast Snake Services and Dickinson College.
Yawning rattlesnake.
(Project RattleCam via Storyful / FOX Weather)
The Project RattleCam team said hundreds of snakes spend their winters in the Colorado mega-den. This summer, the pregnant females have been preparing to give birth and care for their young.
As summer draws to a close, baby snakes, known as pups, are beginning to make their entrance. Unlike eggs, these pups are born live and helpless during their first days.
The pups will then be basking with their mothers in this communal birthing area for the next couple of months, according to Project RattleCam Principal Investigator Emily Taylor. At that point, the snakes enter winter hibernation.
By livestreaming the animals, the RattleCam project team hope to learn more about the snakes and their behaviors.
One aspect is how female prairie rattlesnakes interact with their pups once they are born.
In some species of rattlesnakes, not only will the pups’ mother protect them for two weeks, but a nearby mother who hasn’t yet given birth will also protect those pups, according to Professor of Biology at Dickinson College Scott Boback. Whether this occurs with prairie rattlesnakes is yet to be determined.
WATCH: PREGNANT RATTLESNAKES SLITHER OVER EACH OTHER
Rattlesnakes slither by each other.
(Project RattleCam via Storyful / FOX Weather)
Additionally, Boback noted that some species are known to have their females aggregate in smaller groups with individuals that are closely related to them.
“Like sisters or aunts or maybe a grandmother,” he said.
By watching footage captured during the livestream, Boback and his fellow researchers hope to understand whether the pregnant females in this prairie rattlesnake mega-den are aggregating for the same purpose.
Rattlesnake.
(Project RattleCam / FOX Weather)
They also hope to observe the pups’ direct interactions with other animals.
Much like the researchers, the public can see the snakes for themselves and observe how they act in the wild.
To watch the snakes, check out the Project RattleCam livestream here.