How can we conserve biodiversity? Conservation biology is an ever-changing science, reliant on
the best information about species, and how they function in the ecosystem. The Northern Pacific
Rattlesnake is a federally and provincially threatened species in the Okanagan region of BC. The
climate is becoming hotter and drier, however, no research has been done to study the effects of
changing temperatures and precipitation on this important species. We investigated how summer
temperature and precipitation over the last 20 years may impact the body condition of females,
the birth rate of snakes and the sex ratio of snakes born. We predicted that hotter and drier
summers would be correlated with decreased body condition and birth rate and that hotter
temperatures would lead to a skewed sex ratio. While the trends we found were weak, they align
with our predictions and warrant further study to inform how this species may be impacted by
climate change and create better conservation strategies to ensure their longevity.