Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3149
Date of Award
8-2025
Degree Name
MS in Biological Sciences
Department/Program
Biological Sciences
College
College of Science and Mathematics
Advisor
Emily Taylor
Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Advisor College
College of Science and Mathematics
Abstract
While technology is often blamed for humans’ increasing disconnect with nature, it can also serve as a tool to facilitate empathy and conservation action for wildlife. Snakes are among the most feared animals on the planet, though their understudied social interactions provide opportunities to make scientific discoveries and change public perceptions. Project RattleCam was founded as a camera trap project in 2021 and launched the first off-grid livestream on a den of wild Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) in 2024. Both camera types captured hundreds of Prairie Rattlesnakes gathering in the summer as they prepared to give birth to pups before hibernating together. My research focused on the drivers of community livestream engagement, investigated social relationships among rattlesnakes using camera technologies, and measured changes in human youth perceptions of snakes through a RattleCam-based curriculum.
The Colorado RattleCam Livestream received considerable media attention in its first year. To examine the impact of media on livestream viewership, I plotted a comprehensive list of media articles against YouTube engagement metrics. Increases in watch time, viewers, and subscribers were strongly positively associated with bursts of media coverage. I also examined a select group of YouTube comments that reflected a sense of community among the viewers and potential improvements in perceptions toward snakes compared to before viewers started watching the livestream.
Community scientists helped me generate social networks for two populations of Prairie Rattlesnakes by processing camera trap photos, naming individual snakes, and reviewing livestream footage. Associations among individuals were nonrandom, and females were more gregarious (had higher weighted degrees) than males. Pregnant females spent the most time with other pregnant females, though they were not more gregarious than nonpregnant females.
I led a team in creating a science curriculum for third through fifth graders called RattlEd to amplify Project RattleCam’s impact on youth. I evaluated how our curriculum changed student knowledge and perceptions of snakes by surveying fourth and fifth graders before and after participating in the unit. Students felt less fearful and negative about rattlesnakes following the RattlEd unit. Students’ drawings also shifted from mostly depicting snakes as predators toward a more balanced view of snakes that reflected what they watched on the RattleCam livestreams. Livestreaming technology shows great potential for showcasing animal aggregations, particularly of secretive species. Such livestreams can connect the public with nature and scientific research, and improve perceptions of unpopular animals such as rattlesnakes.