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Rattlesnake strikes ground squirrel
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Video Source: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyQ1lLmj_Tc
At our study site, rattlenakes eat a significant number of ground squirrels each year--mainly pups (squirrels that are just a few months old), as adult California ground squirrels are both resistant to snake venom, and fairly adept at avoiding snake strikes. This clip shows a predatory strike by a rattlesnake, which bites a ground squirrel pup, drags it in to the burrow, releases it, and then later emerges to begin strike-induced chemosensory searching (the process used by venomous snakes to relocate envenomated prey). Note that an adult squirrel runs over to investigate, and continually tail flags and inspects the snake during this process. Please see the project website at San Diego State University for more information: http://www.bio.sdsu.edu/pub/clark/Sit...
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