Colorado

Watch a livestream of Colorado’s ‘mega den’ of pregnant rattlesnakes

Published

2 hours ago

July 24, 2024

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Watch a livestream of Colorado’s ‘mega den’ of pregnant rattlesnakes

Project RattleCam lets people observe rattlesnakes with a live webcam.

Scott Boback

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Scott Boback

On a rocky hillside in Fort Collins, Colo., is a “mega den” of hundreds of rattlesnakes.

They live between the rocks year-round, but in the summer, the only snakes to remain in the area are preparing to give birth.

This illustration shows a glyptodont, a giant, armadillo-like shelled mammal that went extinct about 10,000 years ago. With a large humped shell on its back, the animal is standing near a stream and is surrounded by dense green foliage, including trees and ferns.

“So this is not quite what we might expect, like a black bear den or a grizzly bear den or something,” says Scott Boback, professor of biology at Dickinson College and co-leader of Project RattleCam.

“This is more like a rock face, where there’s a number of holes that go underground — crevices and cracks in between the rock — and you will see snakes go in and out of these holes. We don’t quite understand exactly what’s going on beneath the surface.”

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Project RattleCam, a research project based in California, is making it possible for people to observe the snakes with a live webcam. Cameras tucked away in the hillside livestream the snakes to their website.

Boback says this is an especially interesting time to watch the snakes because of their behavior during pregnancy.

A still from the livestream.

Scott Boback

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Scott Boback

Unlike other snakes, rattlesnakes give birth to live babies — or “pups” — and care for their young for a few weeks after birth. Typically, snakes live solitary lifestyles, but when they’re pregnant they coalesce around nurseries called “rookeries.”

“So when they are aggregated together, as scientists, you got to ask the question about why, what’s going on,” Boback says. “And so that’s one of the things that we’re doing with the camera, is we are interested in how these animals may be interacting with one another. Like, do they tolerate each other?”

Elizabeth Clare holds a white bat (Diclidurus albus) that was captured in the Lamanai archaeological complex, in the village of Indian Church, Belize, on May 7, 2024. (Luis Echeverría for NPR)

Project RattleCam permits Boback and his colleagues to observe the snakes without disruption. It also allows the public to participate.

“We’re sort of right next to the general public who are helping us in that way by making certain observations,” he says. “They’re identifying individual snakes. They can go back and they can rewind the video and they can stop at certain frames, identify unique features on an individual and name the snake. And that allows us to sort of move forward in tracking individuals.”

Cameras monitor the area around the den.

Emily Taylor

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Emily Taylor

Researchers from Project RattleCam understand some of the species’ strange behaviors, like rain harvesting, where the snakes coil up like a teacup and collect water in their body.

Other data is still being studied, but focuses towards the interactions of the mothers during their gestation period.

“If you have a whole bunch of expectant mothers together, they don’t all give birth exactly at the same time,” Boback says. “Essentially, what you have is the opportunity for other mothers to babysit for the mother that actually has given birth to those pups.”

Boback says that observing these traits helps correct wrongful assumptions about the species.

In a study published by the journal Biology of the Rattlesnakes, Cale Morris, a researcher and educator at the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary, used a fake leg to mimic stepping on 175 rattlesnakes. In the entire study, only six snakes struck back at the prop.

In May, NPR visited the rattlesnake training course taught by Morris in Scottsdale, Ariz. He told the class: “I just want you to look at this for what it is. This is not an aggressive animal. I see a shy, scared animal.”

Boback says there are many more mysteries to the social behavior of rattlesnakes, and RattleCam is adding insight to a neglected portion of zoology.

“The way that we have always measured sociality is often with primates,” he says. “Things like us, where we smile and we frown and we look at each other and have these very specific facial expressions.”

“Because a snake doesn’t do that, we maybe assumed that there is no socialization going on when, in fact, the snakes are getting a sense of smell from each other every time they stick their tongue out. And so there are chemicals in their skin that we believe they’re using to understand each other. Who is who? They have a way, perhaps, of detecting each individual. Is this my sister? Is this my aunt?”

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Colorado

Colorado Springs-area Optum locations to permanently close

Published

10 hours ago

July 23, 2024

Press Room

Colorado Springs-area Optum locations to permanently close

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Multiple Optum locations in the Colorado Springs area have stopped offering urgent care services as of this weekend, and will stop offering x-ray services as of August 1, according to signs posted to the front of these locations.

11 News visited 3 locations Tuesday night–Union and Fillmore, Monument and Old Colorado City–and all three had similar notices posted in the windows:

A notice posted in the front of the Old Colorado City Optum location(KKTV)

11 News learned of the closures when several viewers reached out to our newsroom asking for more information, claiming there was little to no notice to patients or employees that the clinics would be closing.

11 News has reached out to Optum to learn more about their plans to close these locations. This article will be updated once they respond.

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Colorado

Celebrated composer comes to Colorado to premiere new symphony

Published

17 hours ago

July 23, 2024

Press Room

Celebrated composer comes to Colorado to premiere new symphony

Colorado Music Festival brings some of the best classical music to Boulder throughout the summer. The Festival has also become a place to debut new classical works. One premiere this summer brings together one of the most significant current composers with a world renown quartet based in Boulder.

Gabriela Lena Frank traveled to Boulder for final rehearsals of her new work. It’s the first time she heard it played.

“It’s super addictive the process of finally getting to hear this music that you’ve been living with sometimes for years,” she told CBS News Colorado.

Lena Frank is one of the few women composing classical music and she brings her Latin heritage to her work, including the new piece.

“‘Kachkaniraqmi’ means ‘I still exist’ which is a celebratory way of saying that in spite of all the hardships the cultures of Peru have gone through, they still thrive. They still survive,” Lena Frank explained.

The piece is four movements and features the Takács String Quartet embedded within a larger string orchestra. The Takács is a grammy award winning string quartet based in Boulder at the University of Colorado. This is the 50th anniversary for the quartet.

“I think it’s particularly exciting that we’re premiering a new work, and we’re commissioning new composers, and embracing how a string quartet can be meaningful in our world,” said Harumi Rhodes, Second Violinist with the Takács.

Rhodes is long time friends with Lena Frank, so collaborating on a symphony seemed like a natural project. The Takács world is usually limited to four musicians. They are very used to working together.

“So bringing our little village of four into a larger community, into the orchestral context is a very exciting opportunity and an opportunity for us to expand our voices and the range of colors and characters we can make,” Rhodes explained.

It’s also fairly rare. There aren’t many concertos composed for this combination. One of the challenges that Lena Frank faced was not allowing the quartet to get lost in the bigger sound of the orchestra.

“Yea, it’s complex, but that’s my job,” she said matter-of-factly.

A job well done in music that shows deep emotion and celebrates each voice of the string quartet. While the piece is inspired by Peru, Lena Frank hopes that audiences will be transported to someplace meaningful to them.

LINK: For Tickets to Colorado Music Festival

The Colorado Music Festival runs through August 4, 2024 at the Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder, Colorado.

Libby Smith

Libby Smith is a special projects producer at CBS Colorado.

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Colorado

Colorado Gov.: If They Need a 'Balding, Gay Jew,' I'm the Guy

Published

24 hours ago

July 23, 2024

Press Room

Colorado Gov.: If They Need a 'Balding, Gay Jew,' I'm the Guy

As speculation swirls around who Kamala Harris might choose as a running mate should she become the Democratic presidential nominee, a couple potential picks are weighing in. Asked by CNN if he’d consider running with Harris, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he’d give the idea “a serious look” if he was asked, KKTV reports. “My phone hasn’t rung yet. Look, If they, if they do the polling and it turns out that they need a 49-year-old, balding, gay Jew from Boulder, Colorado, they got my number.”

Another rumored possibility, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, said Monday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that he and Harris spoke Sunday, Politico reports. “It went great,” he said of the call. “We talked about winning this race.” Asked repeatedly whether he’d consider running alongside her, he steadfastly refused to answer. “I appreciate people talking about me, but I think the focus right now needs to be on her this week,” he said. Also on Morning Joe, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (who, per media reports, may also have spoken with Harris Sunday) similarly deflected the same questions. “I love my job. I love serving the people of Kentucky,” he said. The only way I would consider something other than this current job is if I believed I could further help my people and to help this country.”

Sources tell CNN that Cooper is one of about 10 people, most of them elected officials, who have been asked by Harris’ campaign to submit information including financial details and family histories. Others reportedly include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. See CNN’s shortlist here. (More Election 2024 stories.)

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