Predation of Ameivula ocellifera (Squamata, Teiidae) by Oxybelis aeneus (Squamata, Colubridae), in the Caatinga, Northeastern Brazil, including a list of saurophagy by this snake

Abstract

The most common method of identifying the feeding habits of a species is the dissection of the digestive tracts of animals that have been deposited in collections and/or museums or through occasional encounters (e. g.

NOTES ON THE DIET AND REPRODUCTION OF Dryophylax phoenix IN THE CATIMBAU NATIONAL PARK, PERNAMBUCO STATE, BRAZIL

“…According to the position in which both prey items were found in the snake stomachs and based on the state of almost complete digestion of their heads, it can be concluded that they were ingested first by the head, which is a well-documented strategy in records of predation events by snakes on lizards (Almeida et al 2009, Menezes et al 2013, Maia-Carneiro et al 2016, Mikalauskas et al 2017, Sousa et al 2020, Santana & Teixeira 2020, Silva et al 2021. In fact, according to Greene (1976), this facilitates swallowing by reducing the resistance caused by the surface of the prey.…”

“…This is the second record of predation by a snake on a T. cocorobensis lizard, the first having also been registered in the Parque Nacional do Catimbau (Almeida et al 2009). On the other hand, A. ocellifera is widely known to comprise the diet of several animal groups, of which snakes are one of the most common predators (Vitt & Vangilder 1983, Bocchiglieri & Mendonça 2009, Mesquita et al 2013, Oliveira et al 2018, Coelho et al 2019, Silva et al 2021, Sousa et al 2021.…”