Watch hundreds of rattlesnakes come out of 'mega den' ahead of new Pennsylvania webcam
The group behind the popular RattleCam livestreams, which showcase hundreds of rattlesnakes in California and Colorado, are expanding east.
In April, researchers with Project RattleCam commenced its "mega den" northern Colorado livestream for the second year, allowing anyone to watch the reptilian internet stars as they come out of winter hibernation. The California livestream, which debuted in 2021, is expected to resume sometime this summer.
After recently achieving the more funding, a new livestream in Pennsylvania will likely debut in the spring of 2026, according to Owen Bachhuber, a California Polytechnic State University graduate student who helps run Project RattleCam. The new camera has the possibility of showcasing other types of snakes, like copperheads, as well as different animals like black bears.
"We want everyone to be able to see what would a snake that might live near them be doing, and so that's part of the appeal of the Pennsylvania camera to give representation to the people out in the east," Bachhuber told USA TODAY on May 13. "We're hoping to continue to broaden the reach of the RattleCam and its impact."
Bachhuber said the project continues to educate the public about the snakes, including young students who observe the livestream in science classes under a newly published curriculum. Researchers have already begun to note fascinating facts through the Colorado livestream, which will showcase hundreds of rattlesnakes emerging from an undisclosed private property.
"Notably, there were a couple of snakes who had pretty severe injuries, like missing tails or head wounds or big scars. We've actually seen those snakes come out of hibernation all healed up, so that's been really encouraging for us," he added.
Project RattleCam examines the the social dynamics of the snakes through their unique scale patterns and aims to challenge a longtime negative stigma toward rattlesnakes.
Scientists from California Polytechnic State University, Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and Central Coast Snake Services have partnered to create Project RattleCam. Its first livestream launched in summer 2021 along the central coast of California.
The exact location of the den complex are withheld for the snakes' safety, according to Bachhuber.
Both rattlesnake livestreams are available on RattleCam.org and on Project RattleCam's YouTube channel, though only the Colorado feed is running as of May 13.
The Colorado Rattlecam Livestream of a Prairie Rattlesnake rookery runs 24-7 from May to October.
Coming later: The California Rattlesnake Rookery Livestream, which ran last year from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day from July through October.
Project RattleCam's Colorado livestream lured more than 2.5 million views in its debut year of 2024, even reaching over 180,000 viewers in one day, Bacchuber said.
Contributing: Erin Udell and Mike Snider, USA TODAY NETWORK
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Mega den' webcam to stream rattlesnakes, copperheads in Pennsylvania
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