In order to determine reptile population sizes, species can be captured, marked, released, and recaptured at a later date. This tells researchers about the home ranges of these animals and allows them to estimate population sizes. To capture snakes and lizards, one method is to use an array of drift fences with funnel traps or pitfall traps. Here is how this works: during its daily migrations, a snake might encounter a drift fence and be forced to turn to the right or left, where they are captured in a funnel trap. This is the method used to survey reptiles at the Orchard Combat Training Center just south of Boise, Idaho by Boise State and Northwest Nazarene University students. This work is overseen by Dr. John Cossel, Jr. of Northwest Nazarene University. Here are some video clips of snakes encountering the drift fence and being captured in a funnel trap.

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