Diet and Foraging Behaviors of Timber Rattlesnakes,<i>Crotalus horridus</i>, in Eastern Virginia

Goetz, Scott M.; Petersen, Christopher E.; Rose, Robert K.; Kleopfer, John D.; Savitzky, Alan H.

doi:10.1670/15-086

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…adult males) able to consume larger prey and a broader diversity of small mammals but still target smaller prey indiscriminately (Clark, 2002;Reinert et al, 2011). We must emphasize however that we did not conduct diet analyses to examine the dietary compositions of snakes in our population, and diet has been shown to vary by population and region (Reinert et al, 2011;Wittenberg, 2012;Goetz et al, 2016). We therefore caution against trying to infer dietary patterns from the spatial overlap of snakes with individual prey species or from observed ambush orientations (Clark, 2006;Reinert et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…forest floor), or vertical-tree, can suggest but not validate the potential prey species targeted through ambush (Reinert et al, 2011;Goetz et al, 2016). Snakes are more likely to encounter mice and some squirrel species (including Tamias striatus and S. carolinensis) across fallen logs (Douglass & Reinert, 1982), shrews and voles on the forest floor through leaf litter and vegetation (Reinert et al, 2011), and S. carolinensis at standing trees (Goetz et al, 2016). An alternative explanation to TRS prioritizing multiple prey chemical cues in ambush site selection is that by combining sitespecific prey encounter rates for multiple prey species, we negated any prey-specific preferences by snakes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also identified the presumed foraging orientation type-log-oriented, non-log-oriented, or vertical-tree-oriented (Reinert et al, 2011;Goetz et al, 2016). We defined a log-oriented posture as when snakes rested on or faced (within 1-m) a log or fallen branch ( Fig.…”

Section: Timber Rattlesnake Radio-telemetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We defined a vertical-tree-oriented posture as when snakes coiled at the base of standing trees, with their heads oriented upwards or facing (within 1-m) a tree ( Fig. 1C; Goetz et al, 2016). We considered snakes coiled in ambush on the forest floor but not log or vertical-treeoriented to be in a non-log-oriented posture ( Fig.…”

Section: Timber Rattlesnake Radio-telemetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prey-Driven Behavioral Habitat Use in a Low-Energy Ambush Predator

Tutterow

Hoffman

Buffington

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Food acquisition is an important modulator of animal behavior and habitat selection that can affect fitness. Optimal foraging theory predicts that predators should select habitat patches to maximize their foraging success and net energy gain, which predators can achieve by targeting spaces with high prey availability. However, it is debated whether prey availability drives fine-scale habitat selection for predators.We assessed whether an ambush predator, the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), exhibits optimal foraging site selection based on the spatial distribution and availability of prey.We evaluated the spatial concordance of radio-telemetered timber rattlesnake foraging locations and passive infrared game camera trap detections of potential small mammal prey (Peromyscus spp., Tamias striatus, and Sciurus spp.) in a mixed-use forest in southeastern Ohio from 2016–2019. We replicated a characteristic timber rattlesnake ambush position by focusing cameras over logs and modeled small mammal encounters across the landscape in relation to remotely-sensed forest and landscape structural features. To determine whether snakes selectively forage in areas with higher prey availability, we projected the estimated prey spatial relationships across the landscape and modeled their overlap of occurrence with observed timber rattlesnake foraging locations.We broadly predicted that prey availability was greatest in mature deciduous forests, but T. striatus and Sciurus spp. exhibited greater spatial heterogeneity compared to Peromyscus spp. We also combined predicted species encounter rates to encompass a body size gradient in potential prey. The spatial distribution of cumulative small mammal encounters (i.e. overall prey availability), rather than the distribution of any one species, was highly predictive of snake foraging.Timber rattlesnakes appear to select foraging locations where the probability of encountering prey is greatest. Our study provides evidence for fine-scale optimal foraging in a low-energy, ambush predator and offers new insights into drivers of snake foraging and habitat selection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Timber Rattlesnake Radio-telemetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Timber Rattlesnake Radio-telemetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Prey-Driven Behavioral Habitat Use in a Low-Energy Ambush Predator

Tutterow

Hoffman

Buffington

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…However, many studies have focused on the diets of rattlesnakes, but these are commonly performed by examining stomach contents of dead specimens, fecal matter, or chemosensory preferences of individuals brought into a lab [21,24,60]. Timber Rattlesnakes (C. horridus) have been found to favor arboreal mammals, which is why they are often seen hunting near trees [61]. Banded Rock Rattlesnakes (C. klauberi), on the other hand, have a diet that mostly consists of lizards, so these snakes are hypothesized to utilize more rocky areas [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri) Hunting Behavior through Community Science

Urquidi

Putman

2021

Diversity

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It is increasingly important to study animal behaviors as these are the first responses organisms mount against environmental changes. Rattlesnakes, in particular, are threatened by habitat loss and human activity, and require costly tracking by researchers to quantify the behaviors of wild individuals. Here, we show how photo-vouchered observations submitted by community members can be used to study cryptic predators like rattlesnakes. We utilized two platforms, iNaturalist and HerpMapper, to study the hunting behaviors of wild Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes. From 220 observation photos, we quantified the direction of the hunting coil (i.e., “handedness”), microhabitat use, timing of observations, and age of the snake. With these data, we looked at whether snakes exhibited an ontogenetic shift in behaviors. We found no age differences in coil direction. However, there was a difference in the microhabitats used by juveniles and adults while hunting. We also found that juveniles were most commonly observed during the spring, while adults were more consistently observed throughout the year. Overall, our study shows the potential of using community science to study the behaviors of cryptic predators.

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Prey‐driven behavioral habitat use in a low‐energy ambush predator

Tutterow

Hoffman

Buffington

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Food acquisition is an important modulator of animal behavior and habitat selection that can affect fitness. Optimal foraging theory predicts that predators should select habitat patches to maximize their foraging success and net energy gain, likely achieved by targeting areas with high prey availability. However, it is debated whether prey availability drives fine‐scale habitat selection for predators. We assessed whether an ambush predator, the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), exhibits optimal foraging site selection based on the spatial distribution and availability of prey. We used passive infrared camera trap detections of potential small mammal prey (Peromyscus spp., Tamias striatus, and Sciurus spp.) to generate variables of prey availability across the study area and used whether a snake was observed in a foraging location or not to model optimal foraging in timber rattlesnakes. Our models of small mammal spatial distributions broadly predicted that prey availability was greatest in mature deciduous forests, but T. striatus and Sciurus spp. exhibited greater spatial heterogeneity compared with Peromyscus spp. We found the spatial distribution of cumulative small mammal encounters (i.e., overall prey availability), rather than the distribution of any one species, to be highly predictive of snake foraging. Timber rattlesnakes appear to forage where the probability of encountering prey is greatest. Our study provides evidence for fine‐scale optimal foraging in a low‐energy, ambush predator and offers new insights into drivers of snake foraging and habitat selection.

show abstract

Diet and Foraging Behaviors of Timber Rattlesnakes,Crotalus horridus, in Eastern Virginia

Cited by 10 publications

References 36 publications

Prey-Driven Behavioral Habitat Use in a Low-Energy Ambush Predator

Prey-Driven Behavioral Habitat Use in a Low-Energy Ambush Predator

Quantifying Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri) Hunting Behavior through Community Science

Prey‐driven behavioral habitat use in a low‐energy ambush predator

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