Welcome to Our Website!

Why a Symposium?

With a tail full of music and a mouth that spews venom, the rattlesnake has been maligned and misunderstood by many. Others, however, show more appreciation for this mysterious, cold-blooded creature. In fact, there are many who seek out rattlesnakes to admire their beauty, to indulge an adrenaline rush, or to savor the experience of a unique encounter. The more adventurous prefer finding rattlesnakes in their natural environment, a few are willing only to visit a zoo, and others choose to keep and study them in captivity (which only professionals should do). Some collect photographs, many swap hair-raising stories, and others pay expensive medical bills for tragic mishaps or lapses in judgment. Regardless, these people all want to learn more about rattlesnakes. And then there are those who devote much of their professional careers to studying rattlesnakes. Whether in the lab, in the field, or in the hospital caring for snakebite victims, these are the experts who, more than anyone else, can dispel the myths and mysteries that surround this creature. These are the experts you will hear from at this symposium.

Having visited this website, chances are good that you fall into one or more of the categories above—someone who admires and appreciates rattlesnakes. We hope you can attend the symposium! Although much of the material to be presented at the meetings will be high-ended and scientific in content, you will have the incredible opportunity to learn the latest, cutting-edge discoveries.

About the Symposium

Sessions
Systematics, morphology, physiology, behavior, ecology, conservation, venom, and snakebite treatment; oral and poster presentations will be invited.

Keynote speaker
David Chiszar, University of Colorado professor and widely-recognized authority on rattlesnake behavior.

Banquet
To feature a panel of emeritus herpetologists and physicians discussing where rattlesnake research has been and where it's going.

Speakers
To include a variety of researchers who are studying diverse topics in rattlesnake biology. A list of tentative speakers and topics will be posted to this site.

Proceedings
To be published in a peer-reviewed volume, following the tradition set by the widely acclaimed Biology of the Pitvipers and Biology of the Vipers.

Tentative Speaker List

You can e-mail whayes@BiologyoftheRattlesnakes.com if you wish to be added to the tentative speaker list. Please provide your name, institution, appropriate session, and title or topic. We will update the list on this website on a regular basis. Please understand that space will be limited, especially for oral presentations, and that prioritization of who will speak (or present a poster) will depend on a number of factors including submission of a suitable abstract.