{"id":5447,"date":"2024-07-17T15:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T15:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/17\/snake-mega-den-webcam-could-leave-viewers-rattled\/"},"modified":"2024-07-17T15:06:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T15:06:02","slug":"snake-mega-den-webcam-could-leave-viewers-rattled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/17\/snake-mega-den-webcam-could-leave-viewers-rattled\/","title":{"rendered":"Snake \u2018mega den\u2019 webcam could leave viewers rattled"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A “mega den” of as many as 2,000 rattlesnakes can now be viewed online thanks to a round-the-clock webcam.<\/p>\n

Not everybody will be glued to the footage – but it is expected to be a must-watch for scientists and other snake enthusiasts who are helping to broaden understanding of these unusual reptiles.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The remote site on private land in northern Colorado<\/strong> is on a hillside full of rock crevices where the snakes can keep warm and hide from predators.<\/p>\n

“This is a big, big den for rattlesnakes. This is one of the biggest ones we know of,” said Emily Taylor, of California Polytechnic State University and head of Project RattleCam.<\/p>\n

The exact location is being kept secret to discourage snake lovers – or haters – from messing with the animals.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

This time of year, only pregnant female snakes are at the den while males and other females move into the lower country nearby.<\/p>\n

In August, the babies will be born.<\/p>\n

They are called pups and, unlike nearly all other reptiles, they do not hatch from eggs but are born alive.<\/p>\n

Also, unlike other snakes, rattlesnake mothers care for their young, protecting them against predators and shielding them with their bodies.<\/p>\n

Sometimes rattlesnakes even care for the young of others.<\/p>\n

“Rattlesnakes are actually really good mothers. People don’t know that,” Taylor said.<\/p>\n

She also said rattlesnakes get a “bum rap as creepy and threatening”, but the webcam shows they are social animals that don’t go out of their way to be aggressive.<\/p>\n

“I try to speak up for the underdog and to show people that rattlesnakes have this other side that’s really worthy of our admiration,” she added.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This post appeared first on sky.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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