Camera stuck in tortoise burrow finds a rattlesnake instead, Georgia lab reports
Nosy researchers in Georgia poked a little camera into a tortoise burrow and found a very annoyed rattlesnake looking back at them.
It’s not clear if the venomous snake was shacking up with the tortoise or just squatting while it was away.
The University of Georgia’s Coastal Ecology Lab says the discovery was made in October and shared a photo showing the eastern diamondback was coiled as if ready to strike the camera.
“Check out this magnificent eastern diamondback rattlesnake that we found ... while surveying for gopher tortoises,” the lab wrote in a Nov. 1 Facebook post.
“As we approached, she entered the burrow. ... We still scoped the burrow to determine if a tortoise was residing in the burrow as tortoises will often share their burrows. ... A tortoise was not present in the burrow, and we only observed the rattlesnake at the back, which was quite curious about our scope.”
The researchers left the snake alone, which was a smart move.
Eastern diamondbacks are “the largest venomous snake in North America” and have an acrobatic ability to “strike a distance up to 2/3 of their body length,” wildlife experts say.
They average 10 pounds and 6 feet in length, but some as long as 8 feet have been found, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.
Researchers saw the moment as an example of how tortoise burrows are an important part of the state’s ecology. Rattlesnakes are among “350 commensal species that call gopher tortoise burrows home,” the lab says.
How tortoises feel about these intrusions isn’t clear. But some researchers have reported they seem to get along with venomous snakes.
In one case, a Florida student researcher reported she found a rattlesnake and a tortoise appearing to snuggle in a burrow.
“They were lying against each other and seemed quite comfortable together,” Elizabeth Knizely told the Tampa Bay Times.
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Camera stuck in tortoise burrow finds a rattlesnake instead, Georgia lab reports."