Where do rattlesnakes hide out in the winter?

When snakes hibernate during the cold-weather season, they are far from inactive, at least metabolically speaking.

Instead, they’re shutting down their systems, conserving energy, and revving up for reproduction, according to rattlesnake expert Matt Goode, assistant research scientist in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona and an investigator in the Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response, or VIPER, Institute.

Goode’s work focuses on ecology and conservation of herpetofauna, particularly snakes. He’s especially interested in how urbanization and conservation efforts affect snakes.

Here, Goode explains the winter habits of rattlesnakes and how climate change might affect the snakes:

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