“They have small home ranges and are major predators in most ecosystems, and they’re often relatively long-lived species.” “Snakes are good indicators of environmental contamination because they spend a lot of time in and on soil,” said Beasley, associate professor at SREL and Warnell. Beasley, Gerke’s advisor during the study, said snakes can serve as better indicators of local contamination in the zone than more mobile species like East Asian raccoon dogs, wild boar and song birds.Ī Japanese rat snake conceals itself in a tree. “Studying how specific animals use contaminated landscapes helps increase our understanding of the environmental impacts of huge nuclear accidents such as Fukushima and Chernobyl.” Why are snakes a good indicator of radioactive contamination? “Our results indicate that animal behavior has a large impact on radiation exposure and contaminant accumulation,” Gerke said. Hanna Gerke, an alumna of UGA’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, said tracked snakes moved an average of just 65 meters (approximately 213 feet) per day. According to the researchers, the snakes’ limited movement and close contact with contaminated soil are key factors in their ability to reflect the varying levels of contamination in the zone. (Photo by Hannah Gerke)Īn abundant species in Japan, rat snakes travel short distances and can accumulate high levels of radionuclides.

A Japanese rat snake is fit with a GPS transmitter that will allow researchers to track its movements over the next several weeks.

Radioactive virtual piano