Rattlesnake hunting behavior

What is it about?

Most of what we know about the hunting behavior of rattlesnakes comes from lab experiments and the few studies of free-ranging snakes have all been conducted on a single species (Crotalus horridus). Using radio telemetry and portable video surveillance equipment, we provide the first detailed analysis of the hunting behavior of free-ranging Northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus).

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Why is it important?

Rattlesnakes are important predators, regulating rodent abundances in many ecosystems of North America; however, we know very little about their natural hunting behavior. Studies such as ours help fill this knowledge gap.