They’ve implanted the red diamond rattlers with trackers. Now they’re combing the ground in San Diego’s biggest park to spot them.
The air is cool as a group of San Diego State University students crouch beneath branches and push through brush along the San Diego River, in pursuit of a red diamond rattlesnake named Ruby.
Like many red diamonds, Ruby isn’t easy to find. She blends easily into the dark, leaf-covered ground near the river in Mission Trails Regional Park. Unless she’s moving, there’s a chance the students could walk right past her.