Owen Bachhuber

Research Interests

I have been hooked on reptiles since childhood and am lucky to pursue my lifelong interests as a part of PERL. Using live streaming cameras, I investigate the social dynamics of rookeries where rattlesnakes gather to court mates, give birth, and tend to their young. For my undergraduate honors thesis, I studied how learning about snake sociality affects peoples’ perceptions of them. I am excited to develop Project RattleCam as an educational tool for zoos and museums, sharing the endearing and dramatic lives of snakes with a wider audience. Before coming to PERL, I worked as a Zookeeper at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo where I had the pleasure of caring for amazing reptiles like Komodo Dragons and King Cobras. I have also contributed to conservation programs for threatened and endangered reptiles such as Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards and North American Wood Turtles. When I’m not ogling over rattlesnakes on my laptop, I enjoy exploring nature and tending to my pet snakes, lizards, and tarantulas.