Looking for Rattlesnakes on a Sunny Day in Idaho
Boise State University Master’s student Kristina Parker and her volunteer assistants are on the lookout for rattlesnakes on a sunny September day in Idaho.
She is studying how habitat disturbances in the Great Basin, such as wildfire and invasive plants, affect reptile population numbers, their genetics, and connectivity across habitats. Her thesis project is part of a larger study led by Dr. David Pilliod that is looking at changes in reptile abundance over a 40-year period in southwestern Idaho. This study uses survey data dating back to 1977 from the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area and is a partnership between the USGS, Idaho Army National Guard, and Bueau of Land Management. Kristina and her crew captured 11 rattlesnakes on this day, two of them being repeat captures from last year at the same hibernaculum – a place where a creature seeks refuge, like a bear’s den. They swabbed each snake for snake fungal disease, took blood samples for RNA analysis, and tagged each snake with a Passive Integrated Transponder, or PIT tag. PIT tags are used to track animal movement and are the same technology as the microchips you can get for your dog or cat to help identify it as yours should they get lost.
Learn more about what the USGS is doing in Idaho by visiting our Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center and Idaho Water Science Center websites.
All photos by: Justin L. Welty. (Public Domain)
Boise State University Master’s student Kristina Parker and a volunteer use snake tongs to catch and hold down a rattlesnake.
A Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus) held by snake tongs. The Great Basin rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in Idaho.
The rattlesnake is coaxed into a plastic tube. This plastic tube allows researchers to safely handle the rattlesnake.
Kristina carries the rattlesnake back to the sample processing area. The snake’s head is completely enclosed in the plastic tube, allowing her and her crew to safely handle it during the biological sample collection process.
A volunteer holds the rattlesnake while Kristina uses a syringe to collect blood from it. She will analyze the blood’s ribonucleic acid, or RNA, to track genetic change in the snake from habitat disturbances. RNA, along with deoxyribonucleic acid – or DNA, are the molecules that carry genetic information.
Related Content
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology Team (FRESC)
Wildlife respond to changes in their environment, some of which are dramatic and others subtle. To fully understand the factors that drive changes in populations and communities, we need better information on wildlife ecology in natural and human-altered landscapes. We conduct research and provide technical assistance to address applied questions about the ecology and conservation of wildlife...
Catching a rattlesnake with snake tongs
Boise State University Master’s student Kristina Parker and a volunteer use snake tongs to catch and hold down a rattlesnake.
Collecting a blood sample from a rattlesnake
Boise State University Master’s student Kristina Parker uses a syringe to collect blood from a Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus). The blood’s ribonucleic acid, or RNA will be analyzed to track genetic change in the snake from habitat disturbances. RNA, along with deoxyribonucleic acid – or DNA, are the molecules that carry genetic information.
Carrying a tubed rattlesnake
Boise State University Master’s student Kristina Parker carries a Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus). The snake’s head is enclosed in a plastic tube to allow her to safely handle it during the biological sample collection process.
Tubing a rattlesnake
A Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus) is coaxed into a plastic tube. This plastic tube allows researchers to safely handle the rattlesnake during biological sample collection.
Great Basin rattlesnake held by snake tongs
Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus) held by snake tongs. The Great Basin rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in Idaho.