{"id":42,"date":"2025-04-18T22:44:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T22:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/?p=42"},"modified":"2025-04-18T22:44:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T22:44:49","slug":"cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats’ Snake Venom Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"

For desert woodrats, survival against rattlesnake bites might boil down to something as simple as the weather forecast, according to research published Tuesday in Biology Letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Scientists have discovered that these remarkable rodents, known for their impressive resistance to toxins, lose much of their natural immunity to snake venom when temperatures drop \u2013 a finding that reveals new complexities in the evolutionary arms race between predator and prey.<\/p>\n

The study shows that woodrats maintained in cooler environments (70\u00b0F) had significantly weaker venom resistance compared to those kept in warmer conditions (85\u00b0F), suggesting that seasonal temperature changes could dramatically affect their survival odds during snake encounters.<\/p>\n

“We weren’t really thinking about the effect of temperature on rattlesnake resistance, so we were pretty surprised by the results that there was such a huge effect,” said Denise Dearing, a distinguished professor of biology at the University of Utah and senior author on the study. “In the cooler environments, the rattlesnake venom resistance was really low. And in the warmer environments, it was really high.”<\/p>\n

“The study of venoms and the animals that resist them has uncovered some very potent pharmacologically active molecules and has led to the development of medications like anticoagulants and even Ozempic,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Desert woodrats, also called pack rats, have evolved extraordinary resistance to toxins. These unassuming herbivores can survive doses of rattlesnake venom 500 to 1,000 times greater than what would kill a laboratory mouse. This resistance comes from specialized proteins circulating in their blood that neutralize the venom’s deadly components.<\/p>\n

The research team analyzed blood samples collected in 2014 from woodrats in southwest Utah. These samples had been drawn after the animals were acclimated to either warm or cool captive environments. Years later, when researchers thawed and tested these samples, the temperature-based difference in venom resistance remained clearly evident.<\/p>\n

“We could still see a significant difference between rats from the cold and warm groups,” explained Matthew Holding, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Michigan and lead author of the study. “That tells us that it’s the actual content of their blood that is changing in response to environmental temperature, and it leads to large differences in the ability of that blood serum to inhibit snake venom.”<\/p>\n

The study also revealed another surprising factor that weakens woodrats’ venom resistance: their native diet. When researchers compared woodrats fed standard lab food with those consuming creosote bush \u2013 their primary natural food source and itself loaded with toxins \u2013 they found that the creosote-eating rats showed reduced ability to neutralize snake venom.<\/p>\n

This suggests that woodrats face trade-offs when allocating their body’s resources. Dealing with one type of stress \u2013 be it cold temperatures or processing toxic foods \u2013 seems to compromise their ability to handle other threats.<\/p>\n

“If the animals are dedicating energy to staying warm or to digesting a toxic diet, they may have less energy available for producing these venom-resistant proteins,” Dearing noted. “And turning on their internal heater to stay warm seems to exert a larger physiological cost in terms of venom resistance.”<\/p>\n

The findings provide insight into why rattlesnake venom composition varies across different habitats. Previous research has shown that rattlesnakes produce different venom types depending on where they live, even when preying on the same species.<\/p>\n

“Even across different populations of the same snake species, eating the same prey, we see evolutionary differences in their venoms,” said Holding. “With this study, we really wanted to dig into what drives these differences in the natural coevolutionary arms races between the snakes and their prey.”<\/p>\n

Researchers are now working to identify which specific proteins in woodrat blood change in response to temperature. Uncovering these mechanisms could advance our understanding of venom resistance and potentially lead to new medical applications.<\/p>\n

“The study of venoms and the animals that resist them has uncovered some very potent pharmacologically active molecules and has led to the development of medications like anticoagulants and even Ozempic,” Holding said.<\/p>\n

Beyond potential pharmaceutical applications, the study suggests that changing climate patterns could disrupt the delicate balance of predator-prey relationships that have evolved over millennia. If warming trends continue, rattlesnakes may face more venom-resistant woodrats, potentially triggering evolutionary changes in snake venom composition.<\/p>\n

The research team included Alexandra Coconis and Marjorie D. Matocq from the University of Nevada, Reno, and Patrice Kurnath Connors, now an associate professor at Colorado Mesa University, who collected the original samples as part of her doctoral work.<\/p>\n

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the study offers a glimpse into how environmental factors shape the ongoing evolutionary battle between predator and prey \u2013 a battle where, at least for woodrats, staying warm might be just as important as avoiding fangs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For desert woodrats, survival against rattlesnake bites might boil down to something as simple as the weather forecast, according to research published Tuesday in Biology Letters. Scientists have discovered that these remarkable rodents, known for their impressive resistance to toxins, lose much of their natural immunity to snake venom when temperatures drop \u2013 a finding … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1298,"featured_media":43,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biology"],"yoast_head":"\nCold Weather Weakens Woodrats' Snake Venom Defense - Wild Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats' Snake Venom Defense\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For desert woodrats, survival against rattlesnake bites might boil down to something as simple as the weather forecast, according to research published Tuesday in Biology Letters. Scientists have discovered that these remarkable rodents, known for their impressive resistance to toxins, lose much of their natural immunity to snake venom when temperatures drop \u2013 a finding ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wild Science\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-18T22:44:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Team Wild Science\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Team Wild Science\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Team Wild Science\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a5d316eb96a82fb8df7f5ac511b59e93\"},\"headline\":\"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats’ Snake Venom Defense\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-18T22:44:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":780,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Biology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats' Snake Venom Defense - Wild Science\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-18T22:44:49+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":480,\"caption\":\"Woodrat in desert sun.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/18\\\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats’ Snake Venom Defense\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/\",\"name\":\"Wild Science\",\"description\":\"Nature\u2019s Secrets, Scientifically Told.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wild Science\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/wildsciencelogo2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/wildsciencelogo2.jpg\",\"width\":200,\"height\":171,\"caption\":\"Wild Science\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a5d316eb96a82fb8df7f5ac511b59e93\",\"name\":\"Team Wild Science\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/083c0fb8bac1eb990b36f82def37144fab46ee5352c8e7ba514b01ac66cd0fe6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/083c0fb8bac1eb990b36f82def37144fab46ee5352c8e7ba514b01ac66cd0fe6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/083c0fb8bac1eb990b36f82def37144fab46ee5352c8e7ba514b01ac66cd0fe6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Team Wild Science\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/wildscience\\\/author\\\/wildscience\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats' Snake Venom Defense - Wild Science","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats' Snake Venom Defense","og_description":"For desert woodrats, survival against rattlesnake bites might boil down to something as simple as the weather forecast, according to research published Tuesday in Biology Letters. Scientists have discovered that these remarkable rodents, known for their impressive resistance to toxins, lose much of their natural immunity to snake venom when temperatures drop \u2013 a finding ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/","og_site_name":"Wild Science","article_published_time":"2025-04-18T22:44:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":480,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Team Wild Science","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Team Wild Science","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/"},"author":{"name":"Team Wild Science","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#\/schema\/person\/a5d316eb96a82fb8df7f5ac511b59e93"},"headline":"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats’ Snake Venom Defense","datePublished":"2025-04-18T22:44:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/"},"wordCount":780,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg","articleSection":["Biology"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/","name":"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats' Snake Venom Defense - Wild Science","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-18T22:44:49+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg","width":640,"height":480,"caption":"Woodrat in desert sun."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/04\/18\/cold-weather-weakens-woodrats-snake-venom-defense\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cold Weather Weakens Woodrats’ Snake Venom Defense"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/","name":"Wild Science","description":"Nature\u2019s Secrets, Scientifically Told.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#organization","name":"Wild Science","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/wildsciencelogo2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/wildsciencelogo2.jpg","width":200,"height":171,"caption":"Wild Science"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/#\/schema\/person\/a5d316eb96a82fb8df7f5ac511b59e93","name":"Team Wild Science","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/083c0fb8bac1eb990b36f82def37144fab46ee5352c8e7ba514b01ac66cd0fe6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/083c0fb8bac1eb990b36f82def37144fab46ee5352c8e7ba514b01ac66cd0fe6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/083c0fb8bac1eb990b36f82def37144fab46ee5352c8e7ba514b01ac66cd0fe6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Team Wild Science"},"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/author\/wildscience\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/woodrat-in-desert-sun.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":375,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/09\/30\/why-mamba-snake-bites-worsen-after-antivenom\/","url_meta":{"origin":42,"position":0},"title":"Why Mamba Snake Bites Worsen After Antivenom","author":"Team Wild Science","date":"September 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Doctors treating mamba snake bite victims have long puzzled over a disturbing pattern: patients who initially improve after receiving antivenom sometimes deteriorate again, their muscles seizing in painful, uncontrolled spasms. Now researchers at The University of Queensland have uncovered why this happens, revealing that three of the four mamba species\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Animal-Human Interaction"","block_context":{"text":"Animal-Human Interaction","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/category\/animal-human-interaction\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black mamba","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/Black-mamba.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/Black-mamba.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/Black-mamba.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/Black-mamba.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":356,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/08\/18\/when-rattlesnakes-marry-their-cousins-populations-suffer\/","url_meta":{"origin":42,"position":1},"title":"When Rattlesnakes Marry Their Cousins Populations Suffer","author":"ScienceBlog.com","date":"August 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Michigan\u2019s only rattlesnake is quietly losing ground. A new 15-year study shows that inbreeding among Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes is reducing survival and reproductive success, raising alarm for the federally threatened species. The research, led by Michigan State University conservation biologists and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/category\/behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes live in Michigan and other Midwestern states.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/08\/Eastern-Massasauga-rattlesnakes-live-in-Michigan-and-other-Midwestern-states.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/08\/Eastern-Massasauga-rattlesnakes-live-in-Michigan-and-other-Midwestern-states.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/08\/Eastern-Massasauga-rattlesnakes-live-in-Michigan-and-other-Midwestern-states.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/08\/Eastern-Massasauga-rattlesnakes-live-in-Michigan-and-other-Midwestern-states.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":344,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/08\/08\/snake-rescue-plans-could-carry-hidden-genetic-risks\/","url_meta":{"origin":42,"position":2},"title":"Snake Rescue Plans Could Carry Hidden Genetic Risks","author":"Team Wild Science","date":"August 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Moving animals from large, healthy populations to boost the survival of endangered ones has long been a staple of wildlife conservation. But new research on the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake suggests this practice, called assisted gene flow, may introduce more harmful genetic mutations than beneficial ones. The findings raise questions about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Animal-Human Interaction"","block_context":{"text":"Animal-Human Interaction","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/category\/animal-human-interaction\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes live in isolated spaces in midwestern and eastern North America and were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2016 because of loss and fragmentation of their wetland habitat.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/08\/1920_gettycopyeasternmassasauga-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/08\/1920_gettycopyeasternmassasauga-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/08\/1920_gettycopyeasternmassasauga-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/08\/1920_gettycopyeasternmassasauga-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":294,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/07\/08\/prairie-dogs-found-with-genes-that-beat-the-black-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":42,"position":3},"title":"Prairie Dogs Found With Genes That Beat the Black Death","author":"Team Wild Science","date":"July 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A small band of prairie dogs that survived one of nature's most devastating bacterial killers has revealed genetic secrets that could reshape how scientists approach wildlife disease outbreaks. These Colorado survivors carry DNA variants that helped them withstand sylvatic plague\u2014the same pathogen that caused the Black Death in medieval Europe.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Biology"","block_context":{"text":"Biology","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/category\/biology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A juvenile black-tailed prairie dog emerges cautiously from its burrow in Boulder County, Colorado.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/juvenile-prairie-dog.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/juvenile-prairie-dog.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/juvenile-prairie-dog.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/juvenile-prairie-dog.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":515,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2026\/03\/19\/python-blood-could-change-how-we-lose-weight\/","url_meta":{"origin":42,"position":4},"title":"Python Blood Could Change How We Lose Weight","author":"Team Wild Science","date":"March 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Three days after swallowing a rat whole, a Burmese python's blood is doing something extraordinary. Its heart has expanded by roughly a quarter. Its metabolism has accelerated thousands of times over. And coursing through its circulatory system is a molecule that, until now, nobody in the field of obesity research\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Biology"","block_context":{"text":"Biology","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/category\/biology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"red python","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/pexels-koprivakart-3280908.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/pexels-koprivakart-3280908.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/pexels-koprivakart-3280908.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/pexels-koprivakart-3280908.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":310,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/2025\/07\/18\/faster-lizards-faster-death-counterintuitive-study-challenges-survival-norms\/","url_meta":{"origin":42,"position":5},"title":"Faster Lizards, Faster Death: Counterintuitive Study Challenges Survival Norms","author":"Team Wild Science","date":"July 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Fitness trackers attached to wild bearded dragons have revealed a counterintuitive finding that challenges assumptions about animal survival. The fastest lizards were actually more likely to die than their slower counterparts, according to a year-long study that monitored 40 Australian central bearded dragons in their natural habitat. Researchers from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/category\/behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dragons were fitted with temperature and movement trackers.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/bearded-dragon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/bearded-dragon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/bearded-dragon.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/07\/bearded-dragon.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42\/revisions\/44"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/wildscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}