The Rattlesnake Conservancy

05/27/2026

Classes are filling up but there's still room to join us for our next Level 1 Venomous Handling Certification Course at Rattlesnake Ranch AZ this August! Register today at savethebuzztails.org/classes

05/21/2026

We had an awesome time over the weekend at the Wild Amelia Nature Festival! Thanks to everyone who came out to learn more about our native wildlife and support conservation! 🐍💚

05/19/2026

We had a great time helping with the annual Eastern Massassagua Rattlesnake SAFE survey! This is a long-term monitoring project to track the health and population dynamics of this federally threatened rattlesnake species.
Learn more: emrssp.org
https://tinyurl.com/bdzhjkm8

We spent last week hiking through the swamp, surveying for our favorite rattlesnake.
We found a total of 76 Eastern Massassagua rattlesnakes, with 29 individuals that were identified from previous years. With an average of 52 snakes across the 18 years of the study, this was an exceptional year!

We also recaptured/released our oldest known snake and established a new longevity record in the wild of 16 years!

This year the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake SAFE had 41 attendees being from zoos, aquariums, state and federal wildlife agencies, and conservation organizations.

Big Thank you to Edward Lowe Foundation and Lincoln Park Zoo, Detroit Zoo, The Buffalo Zoo, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Milwaukee County Zoo, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, The Toronto Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo, The Rattlesnake Conservancy

05/17/2026

Courses are filling up and seats are limited! Register now!

Are you a land manager, environmental consultant, first responder, homeowner, zookeeper, veterinary professional, biologist, herpetology enthusiast, photographer, or anyone looking to learn how to safely handle venomous reptiles while receiving a professional certification? This course is for you!

05/13/2026

Thanks to Cova Gentry for sharing her caving gear sporting a TRC decal! You never know where The Rattlesnake Conservancy might show up next. 🐍✨

Where have you taken your TRC gear? We’d love to see! Don't have any yet? Grab yours at savethebuzztails.org/shop

05/11/2026

It's Meet the Species Monday! This week's species is the Guerreran long-tailed rattlesnake (Crotalus ericsmithi).

Fun fact: The tail length of this rattlesnake is 15% of its total body length! Additionally, the Guerreran long-tailed rattlesnake possesses one of the smallest rattles of the rattlesnakes.

This small rattlesnake is endemic to the Mexican state of Guerrero in the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur. Long-tailed rattlesnakes are considered lower montane habitat specialists and reside in the ecotone of tropical deciduous to pine-oak forests. This species was described in 2008, and little ecological research has been conducted for it.

ID Tips: The long-tailed rattlesnakes do not overlap in range. This is a beautiful, small, brightly patterned rattlesnake with one of the smallest rattles.

Photo by © Katiya (Yekaterina Pavlova)
Link to license for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

05/07/2026

Join us June 6-7!

This two-day course combines classroom instruction in important topics like native venomous snake species, ecology, snake anatomy and physiology, reproductive behavior, venom toxinology, emergency snakebite management, captive husbandry, and more; with hands on techniques like single hooking, double hooking, bagging, and containing venomous snakes.

These courses have been taught to thousands of students across the United States and set the industry standard in safe handling practices!

05/04/2026

It's Meet the Species Monday and Star Wars Day! This week's species is the Louse Island speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus thalassoporus)--the name almost sounds like something from another universe.

According to García-Padilla et al., the Louse Island speckled rattlesnake is a conservation priority level one species for Mesoamerica, meaning it is at a high risk of extinction due to small population size, small range size, climate change, and other factors. It is not currently listed as endangered or threatened nationally or internationally. Prior to 2018, this species was previously unknown to science. Its scientific name is derived from the Greek word for “seafarer", due to its presence as a species arising from ancient migrations across water.

ID Tips: You won't find another rattlesnake like this on the island. Louse Island speckled rattlesnakes are a smaller, dwarf form of speckled rattlesnakes from the mainland.

Photo by © Tania Pérez Fiol
Link to license for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

05/04/2026

Did you know that snakes shed their fangs just like alligators and sharks?! We found these while cleaning enclosures. Rattlesnake fangs are classified as solenoglyphous. These are long, hollow, articulated fangs which fold against the roof of the mouth when the jaws are closed and are STRIKINGLY similar to a hypodermic needle! They have a sophisticated mechanism for venom delivery that involves venom traveling from the venom gland into the hollow channel where it's injected into prey through a slit-like opening at the front of the fang!

From left to right these fangs came from Cupcake the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Sweetcheeks the canebrake rattlesnake, and Gogo the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. 🦷🐍

04/29/2026

Warmer weather means more active wildlife! As temperatures rise, you may be more likely to find animals crossing the roads. Roads are one of the greatest sources of mortality for snakes, and dead snakes on the road can attract other wildlife species like small mammals, hawks, vultures, and eagles who feed on the carcasses and become at risk themselves of getting killed in a vehicle collision.

You can save our native wildlife species by staying alert and driving carefully this season! Watch for snakes and other animals on the roads and give them a brake! 🐍🦅🦝🐸🐢