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what would be a simple timber rattlesnake study
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by bush_viper17 on December 25, 2004
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What would be a good study to carry out this spring and summer. I want to do a timber rattlesnake study in a disturbed and an undisturbed area. I know where to find them in both places. One place is where people walk on trails on a daily basis and come into contact with them, the other place is a place where only I have been. I want to study what behaviours they have i.e. Do the ones in the disturbed area rattle more often than the ones in the undisturbed areas. What are the different weights of each population?(Hikers may throw scraps of food on trails and attract rodents and in turn give snakes more readily available food. Im buying some weight scales from a sporting goods store to weight them. Also I want to find there home range in both disturbed and undisturbed locations. Would a timber still use the same area of land in a disturbed location than one in an undisturbed location?
Would this be a good study to carry out? I can also study copperheads in the same locations because I find alot everyday up here. The good thing is this place is just up the road from my house.
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RE: what would be a simple timber rattlesnake stud
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by Nightflight99 on December 26, 2004
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Your enthusiasm is certainly appreciable, but field population studies are not quite as simple as one would think. Without an advanced background in wildlife ecology, any data that you might succeed in collecting may not usable due to lack of controls, monitoring capability, analytical tools, etc. It is also likely that your undertaking could produce a significant disturbance to those populations, thereby being counterproductive and actually having a negative effect on the populations.
You may want to contact your local universities or wildlife agents to inquire about volunteering to assist in an exisiting field research study instead. This will enable you to learn about the necessary techniques and other aspects under the guidance of an established researcher.
~TE
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RE: what would be a simple timber rattlesnake stud
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by sballard on December 29, 2004
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Good advice by Nightflight. In most states, timber rattlesnakes are protected, so permits would be required prior to carrying out any research on them at all. Determining home range is best done by telemetry, although a simple mark and recapture study can be initiated, although you are looking at many many years (we ended up going 6-7 years before getting any recaptures here in Illinois at one location) before getting any good quantifyable data. Since timber rattlesnakes are sensitive to disturbance, it is best to contact your local DNR or state herpetologist to see if there are any studies you can assist them with and get some good experience. On the other hand, since copperheads usually aren't protected by most states, a mark and recapture study could be done on them, although without you are still looking at a longterm study. Is there a local university nearby that you could volunteer for to get some experience in the field?
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RE: what would be a simple timber rattlesnake stud
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by bush_viper17 on December 31, 2004
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I wasnt wanting to do a full study. I was just wanting to view them and see if any patterns come up with were I find them, what time,if they move to new locations. I found one this past summer that stayed at two different places. If I saw it, it was always at one of the two places. But im not going to disturb them by taking them or destroying their home because one of my friends destoyed a rattlesnakes home and we never saw it again.(I didnt help destroy it, I was trying to tell them not to turn the rocks over, but they did any way and we dont really talk any more)
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RE: what would be a simple timber rattlesnake stud
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by AquaHerp on December 31, 2004
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I would keep detailed notes on observations. Date, time of day, temp., location (be specific), weather conditions (including previous days), position of the animal, surrounding vegetation-logs-rock-etc., general apperance of animal (i.e. gravid, opaque, scarred, etc.). As well take good photographs of the animals (without disturbing them) so that you can identify them in the future through individual patterns.
Notes like these can prove to be invaluable to any study that may be going on currently or that you may launch in the future as part of your thesis work (who knows?).
I spent hundreds of hours in the forest studying these snakes and field notes are by far your most valuable tool. Observe Observe Observe.
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RE: what would be a simple timber rattlesnake stud
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by bush_viper17 on January 1, 2005
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I love to observe. My friend and I have been sleeping in the woods the last few days."Living off the land" except we bring our own food.
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