FGCU researchers hope to curb fear while studying rattlesnakes

Many people are afraid of rattlesnakes, but an FGCU duo of researchers wants to study the elusive creatures while dispelling the fears.

These researchers want to find rattlesnakes on FGCU’s Campus. Matthew Metcalf is a visiting instructor at FGCU.

“Today, we’re looking for eastern diamondback rattlesnakes,” Metcalf said. “We recently started up a telemetry project with this species because we don’t know a lot about this species of snake down here in Southwest Florida.”

WINK News Environmental Reporter Stephanie Byrne gave it a try, too. “We’re getting warmer,” Byrne said.

By tracking the snakes with transmitters, researchers can then study their size, parasites and genetics.

Alex Marsh is the other half of the duo and is a biology student at FGCU.

“We definitely love to take people out and have them experience snakes as we see them as not such malign animals and actually really awesome and ecologically important individuals,” Marsh said.

The work here today is continuing what “the snake whisperer,” John Herman, began a few years ago.

“Unfortunately, he passed away from cancer in 2018, and the university hired me as a legacy position to teach classes and to continue the work that he had started up,” Metcalf said.

This includes using reptiles as a teaching tool for people that aren’t too keen on slithering creatures.

“Their populations are declining, and we don’t know if they are in need of protection or not because their populations are getting lower,” Metcalf said.

Researchers like these two won’t scale back the work that needs to be done.

Instructor Matt Metcalf says his group receives a grant from the Rattlesnake Conservancy for a portion of this project.

If you come across a rattlesnake in our area, you can help this group’s research by reporting sightings to SWFLRattlesnakes@gmail.com. You’re asked to send a photo and location.