Grant McCargar

Research Interests

Growing up catching snakes and lizards in the hills of northern California, my interest in reptiles has taken me around the world and continues to drive my pursuits as a researcher. After receiving my undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara, I moved to south Florida to work as a technician with invasive Burmese pythons in Big Cypress National Preserve for almost two years. From there, I jumped to the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest to assist a project studying the evolution of snake venom, surveying and sampling front and rear-fanged venomous snakes. Then it was off to Wyoming to track prairie rattlesnakes and help improve the process of snake translocation in Sinks Canyon State Park.

All of these experiences led me to connect with Dr. Emily Taylor and the PERL lab to continue working with snakes in my home state of California. My research interests focus on the intersection of human-snake conflict and urban rattlesnake morphology, physiology, and behavior. My thesis work aims to better understand the factors that drive conflict at urban-rural interfaces and improve coexistence strategies for communities that encounter rattlesnakes. Working with snakes is a fundamental part of who I am, but I also love spending time outside by hiking, camping, paddle boarding, and playing volleyball!