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Rattler Tattler at North Table Mountain

5/18/2017

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It’s snowing again in the Front Range, meaning our prairie rattlesnakes are taking shelter below the surface. In the past few posts we’ve learned a little bit about Adaptation Environmental Services and Jefferson County Open Space as well as the background of this tracking project. It seems fitting now to give a quick biography about the animal all of the buzz is about: the prairie rattlesnake.  


It might be said that the prairie rattlesnake was ‘born’ (to the scientific community, at least) in 1818, when Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (hereafter just ‘Rafinesque’) wrote the first known description of the animal. While we know this snake by the name ‘prairie rattlesnake,’ it is something of a nickname, while its proper full name (at least as far as scientists are concerned) is written in Latin as Crotalus viridis. Confusingly, our rattlesnake’s first and last name are swapped from the usual position, as its individual name viridis (‘green’) comes after the name shared by its close relatives, Crotalus (‘rattle’). When Rafinesque gave the prairie rattlesnake the name viridis, he was likely referring to the color of the prairie rattlesnake’s scales, which often have a greenish tint.

The prairie rattlesnake’s 31 closest relatives all share its last name, Crotalus, and while each is unique in its own way, they all have a lot in common. They are all called rattlesnakes, and each has a rattle at the end of their tail made of keratin, the same substance that makes up human hair and fingernails. On either side of the face, each has a deep pit between the nostril and vertically slit, lidless eye that gives them with the extraordinary ability to ‘see’ even the tiniest temperature variations. All possess two large, hollow teeth called fangs that fold like pocket knives into the roof of their mouth when not in use. The fangs extend to deliver a toxic chemical weapon responsible for their collective infamy, venom, into the bodies of their food and their many enemies.

The only other snake that bears the name Crotalus in Colorado is the midget faded rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus), which lives on the western side of the Rocky Mountains. A more distant cousin, the desert massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus), is a tiny rattlesnake armored with a helmet of large scales on its head that lives in southeastern Colorado. No other dangerously venomous snakes live in the state. In the Front Range of Colorado, including in Jefferson County, the prairie rattlesnake has no relatives that live in town.
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The prairie rattlesnake is fairly big for a rattlesnake, at its largest reaching up to 65 inches from nose to the tip of the rattle, though in Colorado our rattlesnake averages only about 28 inches. With regards to its wardrobe, its coat of keeled scales may be greenish gray, olive green, greenish brown, light brown, yellowish, or even pink. A handsome pattern of dark, oval blotches with light borders run down the snake’s back and turn into dark bands near the tail, while a white line is painted on either side of each eye.

This rattlesnake enjoys the Great Plains has been found just about everywhere within the region and few places outside it. It isn’t picky about its living situation provided that it has a den for escaping below the frost line during cold snaps and the local grocery is full of tasty rats. Given its unfussy lifestyle, the prairie rattlesnake lives in just about any land area in Colorado below 9,500 feet (give them a break, its cold up there!), including prairies (who would’ve guessed?), dry basins, and wooded mountains.


In its career, the prairie rattlesnake is something of a professional hunter whose implement of choice is its moderately toxic (for a rattlesnake) venom. In its youth, the young rattlesnake hones its skills pursuing small game including lizards, frogs, toads, insects and birds before maturing and moving on to its true calling - rodents. The adult prairie rattlesnake is an efficient ambush killer of rats, mice, gophers, young prairie dogs and other small furry critters. Despite its considerable hunting skills, the prairie rattlesnake is never too proud to turn down a free meal and happily downs eggs and even carrion.

Prairie rattlesnakes have been around a long time, and its tough to imagine a long career that didn’t include the making of a few enemies. Golden Eagles, harriers, and other raptors are skilled hunters in their own right that may try to turn our rattlesnake into dinner. However, it is without a doubt that the most prevalent killers of the prairie rattlesnake are humans.  

Once the snow clears we will be back out across North Table Mountain collecting information on the movements of our eleven transmittered snakes and keep you apprised of what they’re up to. We’ll also be trying to capture an additional nine snakes to fill our quota of 20.  If you see us out in the field, stop by and say hello!
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Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis)
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Midget Faded Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus)
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Desert Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus)
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Rattler Tattler at North Table Mountain

5/12/2017

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Author
​Bryon Shipley

It has been a fabulous week at North Table Mountain since May 5.  The weather was great, our snake hunting and tracking teams were fantastic, and informative interactions with park visitors, whether they were biking, hiking or running, has positively exceeded our expectations.  It was a blast chatting with people about rattlesnakes!   By Friday, May 12, there will be 11 rattlesnakes outfitted with transmitters roaming around the mountain.  Three males that were caught for transmitters were quite large and lively, two of them weighing in well over a pound!             
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It is apparent that snakes are on the move, free from the restrictions of avoiding dangerous cold weather.  Two males were found in the early evening as they openly explored their habitat.  As these rattlesnakes move around, they are actively searching for food and water, hoping to avoid predators from ground as well as the air. Being venomous does not guarantee a life of immunity to predation!  And it won’t be long now before the search for that perfect mate by adult males will be added to their to-do list for the season.

The rattlesnake research we are conducting on North Table Mountain is actually only one of a few that have been done inside the Front Range.  For example, a study published in 2013 (Shipley et al.) from the Plains Conservation Center in Aurora, Colorado, detailed the interactions and associations of prairie dog colonies with rattlesnakes and showed that prairie dog colonies are important for rattlesnakes and many other animals by providing hibernation dens or hibernacula (singular = hibernaculum), summer cooling refuges, mate searching opportunities, and prey availability of many types, not just in the form of prairie dogs.  It was also noted that rattlesnakes had a small home range centered around the colony, because many necessary resources were already nearby and long prey searching migrations were not needed.                                     

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​Another great study (Mathies et al. 2015) was conducted at Rabbit Mountain Open Space Park in Longmont, Colorado to identify locations of rattlesnake hibernacula for the purpose of managing trail systems around these dens.  Similar to the first study above, the report stated that hibernacula were found to be numerous and scattered around the mountain, not as a single hibernaculum serving perhaps hundreds of rattlesnakes as found in some spots in the U.S.  What this means to the Park is that additional information on rattlesnake ecology and recreation safety was needed for all visitors; merely re-routing trail systems was not going to be effective in increasing visitor welfare.  
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Finally, and no less important, in 1981, a naturalist charged with removing rattlesnakes from nearby Ken-Caryl communities published a short article of observations about rattlesnakes (Ludlow 1981).  He observed that rattlesnakes were found well distributed throughout the Hogback Mountains south of Morrison, Colorado, and that the snakes used hibernacula in the mountains as well as in prairie dog colonies at lower elevations.  

​We hope that our research at North Table Mountain will provide us with similar information as the above articles describe (see also the previous blog entry by Joseph Ehrenberger).  Knowing specifics about how rattlesnakes move on and around the mountain top and sides, their preferences for hiding and basking spots relative to trails, where females are likely to give birth to babies will add a tremendous bounty of information to management plans for North Table Mountain Park, helping visitors learn to recreate safely and enjoy themselves, while preserving and protecting the wondrous diversity of snakes on the mountain.


Article references:
Shipley, B.K., D. Chiszar, K.T. Fitzgerald, and A.J. Saviola.  2013.  Spatial ecology of Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) associated with Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in Colorado.  Herpetological Conservation and Biology 8(1):240-250.  Open access journal available online.
Mathies, T., J. Ehrenberger, K. Urbanek, and B. Shipley. 2016.  Identification of winter dens of Prairie Rattlesnakes on Rabbit Mountain Open Space.  
Ludlow, M.  1981.  Observations of Crotalus v. viridis and the herpetofauna of the Ken-Caryl Ranch, Jefferson, County, Colorado
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Rattler Tattler at North Table Mountain

5/5/2017

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Following a week of cold and snowy weather that slowed us down, the sun is back out and so are the Prairie Rattlesnakes. Yesterday we were able to collect another three snakes for a total of seven study animals of out of our 20 animal goal. From our field observations, we believe spring emergence is well underway and many snakes will be out crawling to their foraging grounds. Now that we’ve covered study updates, let’s discuss how this study came about.

The project this blog focuses on, What’s All The Buzz About?: Prairie Rattlesnake Movements in an Urban Landscape and Assessing Visitor Perception, was funded through the Jefferson County Open Space Small Research Grants Program. Following their submission, JCOS staff advisers evaluate the proposals based on criteria including the potential benefit of the research to the management of Jeffco Open Space lands, the potential impact of the project on resources, and the qualifications of the investigators that will be conducting the study. The Jeffco Open Space Planning Team received many excellent small research grant proposals this year and a total of nine grants were awarded. Other projects funded this year through this program range from rare plant and aquatic insect inventories to using fossils and biomarkers to better understand climate and environmental change across the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary at South Table Mountain.

But why pursue a study about rattlesnakes at North Table Mountain? The information collected over the course of the field research will include the location of the snake’s winter hibernation sites, maternity dens, and summer foraging areas, all of which are extremely useful in management of the species. North Table Mountain has a great diversity of habitats on site and shares many characteristics with other Jefferson County Open Space parks. It is likely that any information we learn about the behavior of rattlesnakes at North Table Mountain will also give us insights into their activities in our other parks.

Beyond the natural resources and scientific value of the study, the greatest benefit of this research will be an increase in rattlesnake safety and awareness for our park visitors. Throughout the duration of this research project, Jeffco Open Space visitors will be provided with opportunities to learn about rattlesnake behavior, ecology and safety by talking with field researchers or JCOS staff assisting with the project. The Prairie Rattlesnake is a generalist that can be found from plains habitat up into ponderosa pine communities in the mountains. The odds are that, if you are visiting a Jefferson County Open Space park, you are in rattlesnake country. If you’ve been reading these blog posts, you know that rattlesnakes have already emerged from hibernation and visitors will begin encountering them more frequently as the weather warms. There are a number of habits you can adopt to reduce the chances of having a negative encounter with a Prairie Rattlesnake and to keep yourself, children, and pets safe while enjoying the outdoors:
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Bite Prevention

  • Wear long, loose pants and closed-toed shoes made of sturdy material.
  • Stay on designated trails. Prairie Rattlesnakes have excellent camouflage, and not all will give a rattling warning before resorting to a defensive bite. Staying on trail reduces your risk of accidentally stepping on a rattlesnake.
  • Maintain awareness of your surroundings. If you are listening to a device, keep one ear bud out at all times so that you can hear a rattlesnake’s warning (but don’t count on one - not all rattlesnakes give a rattling warning).
  • Leash pets and keep them on a short lead. Dogs investigate with their face. When curious dogs are bitten, the bite is often to the face, neck or chest - these bite sites are much more dangerous than a bite taken on a limb.
  • Look before you step, sit or grab. Snakes bask on trails or rocky ledges and take shelter under rocks, ledges, and shrubs.
  • If you encounter a rattlesnake, practice the 30/30 rule: back away 30 feet and give the rattlesnake 30 seconds to decide to leave. Repeat, if necessary. Do not attempt to throw rocks or move the snake, as this only makes them more defensive and likely to stay put until they feel danger has passed. Ask yourself, “Do I really want to engage with an angry rattlesnake?” The answer should be, “No.”

First Aid

In the unlikely event of a rattlesnake bite, remain calm and call 911. Follow the directions of the dispatcher. Be prepared to provide your exact location on the trail (trail name, park name, and closest trail junction). Keep the bitten area at or below the level of the heart. Do not attempt to cut, suck, ice or apply a tourniquet to the bite area. The most important first aid in this scenario is to keep the bitten person calm. Anticipate swelling and remove rings, bracelets or other items that might constrict with severe swelling. Monitor for severe allergic reactions and immediately update dispatch if you experience trouble breathing. Do not attempt to capture or kill the snake that delivered the bite - this puts you at an unnecessary risk as the Prairie Rattlesnake is the only one dangerously venomous snake native to the Front Range.

If a pet is bitten, the animal needs to be evacuated and will need immediate medical attention. Call ahead to make sure your vet stocks anti-venom. If they do not, they can advise of the closest location that does. 

​Whether rattlesnakes excite you for good or bad reasons, we want you to be aware of them in our Jeffco Open Space parks. Enjoy the beautiful weather this week, and stay ssssssafe!

For more information about this project or rattlesnake safety, e-mail me at [email protected].
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    Joseph Ehrenberger

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