Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
DOI
10.1670/15-086
Publication Title
Journal of Herpetology
Volume
50
Issue
4
Pages
520-526
Abstract
During a 17-yr telemetry study, we examined the diet and ambush behavior of a population of Crotalus horridus in southeastern Virginia. Forty dietary items were identified from 37 fecal samples. We documented 722 instances of snakes in an ambush posture, 61 of which were in a vertical-tree posture, as if hunting arboreal prey at the base of a tree. The most common prey items were Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), which accounted for 45 of all dietary items and represented an estimated 78 of total biomass consumed by C. horridus. Prey was not consumed in proportion to availability, based on small mammal surveys. Our analysis provides indirect evidence that the vertical-tree foraging behavior is adopted to target arboreal Eastern Gray Squirrels. Further, we provide support for the hypothesis that C. horridus alters ambush behavior to forage selectively for specific prey types.
Original Publication Citation
Goetz, S. M., Petersen, C. E., Rose, R. K., Kleopfer, J. D., & Savitzky, A. H. (2016). Diet and foraging behaviors of timber rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, in eastern Virginia. Journal of Herpetology, 50(4), 520-526. doi:10.1670/15-086
Repository Citation
Goetz, Scott M.; Petersen, Christopher E.; Rose, Robert K.; Kleopfer, John D.; and Savitzky, Alan H., "Diet and Foraging Behaviors of Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, in Eastern Virginia" (2016). Biological Sciences Faculty Publications. 293.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/biology_fac_pubs/293
ORCID
0000-0002-8705-5316 (Goetz)