Here at the GSTC we not only work with turtles, but also occasionaly have exciting visitors – snakes! The most recent visitor was a female Canebrake Rattlesnake, a species more widely known as the Timber Rattlesnake but that is more widely referred to in coastal areas as Canebrakes.
This beautiful creature, now named Terry, is a participant in a research project at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton SC that uses radio telemetry. Therefore, the purpose of today’s surgery was not to make a sick animal better but to implant a radio transmitter so that we can follow the snake wherever it moves to learn more about their lives. We implanted the transmitter in her body cavity. Don’t worry; Terry was asleep during surgery and can eat or have babies with no problems from the transmitter!
With Terry’s help, we are learning how animals respond to construction of a residential and recreational development. Terry also helps to teach biologists at Palmetto Bluff and all over the world on how to cohabitate with wildlife so that both the people and the wildlife have homes. Terry also teaches people that snakes are not so bad and aggressive, in fact, they are quite fascinating!

~ Kimberly Andrews Science and Education Director, Palmetto Bluff Conservancy