A camera on the Central Coast is giving people a behind-the-scenes view of babies. Rattlesnake babies.
You can see the baby snakes on the California RattleCam, one of three operated by Project RattleCam, a collaboration between scientists from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Central Coast Snake Services, and Dickinson College. The other cameras are in Colorado and Pennsylvania. The California camera is located on the Central Coast, in a location kept secret to protect the snakes.
"They're these gentle creatures who help us out by eating rodents," said Emily Taylor, a Cal Poly biology professor, author, and confessed lover of all things slithery.
"I think they're underdogs," said Taylor. "I feel like it's my responsibility to speak up for them. They're so misunderstood."
On the California RattleCam livestream, viewers can see some newborn rattlers.
"We've seen two babies crawling around," said Taylor. "They were born to a female named Iris, who herself was born on camera five years ago. This is her first litter of babies, which is really exciting."
