Herpetologist and students tracked snakes this summer on Jekyll Island

Dr. Dominic DeSantis, assistant professor of biology, and 12 students took their snake-sleuthing abilities to the coast this summer to get a better understanding of ways humans affect snake numbers on Jekyll Island.

The group collaborated with the Jekyll Island Authority to especially study the movement ecology of Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes. Snakes have been individually tracked on the island for more than a decade. But DeSantis was asked to introduce his new technology that records where snakes go, when they strike, what they eat, how often they reproduce and how they interact.

The group placed tiny accelerometers on snakes to measure vibrations or changes in motion. It’s important to observe rattlesnakes, because entire ecosystems can break down without them.

“Our overarching goal for this research is to understand the movement and foraging behaviors of snakes,” DeSantis said. “This includes how ongoing habitat management efforts—such as prescribed burning, brush removal and habitat corridor construction—might alleviate negative effects of human development and activity on the island.”

Students learned important skills, applying essential and emerging data collection techniques used in wildlife biology and natural resource jobs, like radio telemetry and accelerometry.

They were also exposed to the ongoing habitat restoration project at Jekyll Island, aimed at balancing the needs of human and wildlife populations. This gave students a real-life look at how many techniques discussed in class are used to achieve wildlife management goals.