Student Using GPS Tracking Technology on Rattlesnakes
8 Sep 2016A budding scientist at Wofford College in South Carolina is using GPS tracking technology to keep tabs on rattlesnakes in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Alex Bentley, a graduate of Salem High School and an aspiring herpetologist, spends much of his time scouring the mountains of Southwest Virginia for snakes. His love for snakes began when he was just 5-years-old when he first encountered a garter snake. Years later, Bentley is now determined to contribute something to his chosen field of study.
Bentley spent months researching and planning, and he just began his fist leg of a study on timber rattlesnakes, which utilizes GPS tracking technology, known as radio telemetry, to track the snakes. His goal is to use the technology to track the migration and mating patterns of the species during spans of time when human beings are not present in the natural habitat of the snakes.
The timber rattlesnake has never before been researched using such small technology. Bentley is hopeful that the information he gathers from his study will change the way in which people understand this particular type of snake as they play an important role in the ecosystem.
Some of the issues that they rattlesnakes face include habitat destruction from logging, road mortality, and random killings from people.
Traditional radio telemetry uses radio waves to transmit information from a distant instrument to a device that either records or indicated measurements. In regard to animal research, this type of science has primarily been used to track bears, elk or other types of big game. Until Bentley’s unique project, GPS technology has been too cumbersome to use with smaller creatures, like the timber rattlesnake.
The student scientist attached his first GPS unit to a snake on July 16. He plans to document the results that the device provides through the remainder of the summer.
Bentley’s research project is an expensive one. In order to fund it, he started applying for research grants and soliciting private donations in January of 2016. To date, he has raised $14,000 to fund his project, and he is still accepting donations. Additional funds will allow him to expand the sample size of his research.
The results of Alex Bentley’s research will open a new window on the world of timber rattlesnakes for human beings. He hopes that it will help people gain a better understanding of and appreciation for these creatures.
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