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Evidence of intrapopulation differences in rattlesnake defensive behavior across neighboring habitats

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Abstract

Frequent human encounters, even if benign, can influence fight-or-flight decisions in animals. Understanding how these responses are linked to human activity provides important insight into the ecology and conservation of populations, particularly those that may interact with humans. To this end, we compared the defensive behavior (rattling) of rattlesnake populations at two study areas containing habitats with contrasting levels of human activity. Immediately after capture in the field, we subjected rattlesnakes to the approximation of an approaching hiker and recorded the distance that they first rattled. To accommodate for zero inflation in our analysis, we developed a two-part model. We first assessed the probability of rattling occurring via a logit model, followed by a log-normal regression model to assess the distance to initiation of rattling as affected by covariates (site, temperature, time of year, snake size, etc.) for all non-zero values. Snakes occupying areas subject to high levels of human activity allowed investigators significantly closer before rattling (P < 0.001). Compared to areas of low human activity, these snakes were 6.17–7.61 times less likely to engage in rattling behavior at all. We argue that the uniform response recorded among rattlesnakes in areas of high human activity suggests population-level habituation to human presence. The behavioral differences we detected over relatively short distances have implications for land management, including the impacts of recreational areas with a high degree of human activity. Our findings are consistent with studies of other taxa on the impact of human activity on animal behavior, suggesting this pattern may be widespread.

Significance statement

The influence of human activity on the behaviors of wildlife is difficult to quantify but of significance for conservation and management. We studied how the defining defensive behavior of rattlesnakes, tail rattling, differs according to environmental conditions. Rattlesnakes in areas of high human activity displayed a highly uniform, muted response to an approaching investigator when compared to snakes in areas of negligible human activity. Our results suggest that the level of human activity on a landscape may influence the expression of a core behavior in rattlesnakes, and that behavioral shifts may become evident in habitats subject to contrasting levels of human activity within a relatively short period of time. With replication, this type of survey could serve as a less costly alternative to traditional population impact studies for rattlesnakes.

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Fig. 1

adapted from R. Reudink, British Columbia Ministry of Forest, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development)

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Availability of data and material

https://github.com/mcpatkins/BEAS.

Code availability

https://github.com/mcpatkins/BEAS.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF), the Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia (FESBC), Coldstream Ranch (2002) Ltd., MITACS Accelerate, British Columbia Parks, and the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk (AFSAR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Science Program, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada

    Marcus C. P. Atkins & Chloe R. Howarth

  2. Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC, V1V 1V7, Canada

    Michael A. Russello

  3. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada

    Jabed H. Tomal

  4. Department of Natural Resource Science, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, V2C 0C8, Canada

    Karl W. Larsen

Authors
  1. Marcus C. P. Atkins
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  4. Jabed H. Tomal
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  5. Karl W. Larsen
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Contributions

MCPA, CRH, and KWL contributed to study conception and design. Data collection was performed by MCPA and CRH. Data analysis and model building were performed by MCPA and CRH, guided by JHT. Material preparation was performed by all authors. MAR conducted genetic analysis for the study. The manuscript was written by MCPA with all authors providing comments on previous versions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcus C. P. Atkins.

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Ethics approval

All applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines for research involving animals were followed. All field data collection was conducted under Thompson Rivers University Animal Use Protocol (#102039), British Columbia Wildlife Act Permit (MRPE15-171661), British Columbia Park Use Permit (#108794), Species at Risk Permit SARA-PYR-2018–0427, and with the authorization of the Osoyoos Indian Band.

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Not applicable.

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All authors give consent to publish.

Conflict of interest

Funding for this work was provided in part by BC Parks and Coldstream Ranch (2002) Ltd. and field work was conducted on lands owned or managed by these entities. Field work was also conducted, with consent, on the reserve lands of the Osoyoos Indian Band and on lands managed by Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Center. These bodies did not provide commentary or insight into the study design, analysis of data, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Communicated by: T. Madsen

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Atkins, M.C.P., Howarth, C.R., Russello, M.A. et al. Evidence of intrapopulation differences in rattlesnake defensive behavior across neighboring habitats. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 76, 3 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03100-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03100-6

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