Antipredatory reaction of the leopard geckoEublepharis maculariusto snake predators

AbstractStudies of a limited number of species of fish in the superorder Ostariophysi have shown they they exhibit strong antipredator behaviour to conserved alarm substance in feces and in other byproducts from predatory fish that have consumed ostariophysans. Our experiments examined the ability of a previously untested ostariophysan to recognize chemical cues from two species of snake predators. In Experiment 1, shoals of golden shiners (Notemigonus chrysoleucas) exhibited strong shelter-seeking responses to water which contained waste byproducts from either a sympatric snake or an allopatric snake which had been fed golden shiners but not to a distilled water control. There was no difference in response to the sympatrie snake predator, northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon), compared to the allopatric snake predator, black-bellied garter snakes (Thamnophis melanogaster). In Experiment 2, individual shiners exhibited vigourous dashing when presented with water which contained waste byproducts from N. sipedon fed golden shiners but exhibited a much weaker response to water which contained waste byproducts from N. sipedon fed green swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri, a non-ostariophysan) or to a water control. These results suggest that the alarm substance produced in the epidermis of the golden shiners is conserved in snake waste byproducts. Experiment 3 showed that there was little difference in shelter-seeking behaviour by shoals of shiners when presented with water in which N. sipedon had soaked, water in which T. melanogaster had soaked, or a distilled water control. Thus it appears that secretions from the skin of these predators may not be chemically labelled.

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Individual Variation in Antipredator Response of Ambystoma jeffersonianum to Snake Predators

Journal of Herpetology ◽

10.2307/1564458 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 307 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Edmund D. Brodie

Keyword(s):

Individual Variation ◽

Antipredator Response ◽

Ambystoma Jeffersonianum ◽

Snake Predators

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Behavioural responses of Mallorcan midwife toad tadpoles to natural and unnatural snake predators

Animal Behaviour ◽

10.1006/anbe.1997.0596 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 207-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

RICHARD A. GRIFFITHS ◽

LAURENT SCHLEY ◽

PENNY E. SHARP ◽

JAYNE L. DENNIS ◽

ALVARO ROMÁN

Keyword(s):

Behavioural Responses ◽

Midwife Toad ◽

Snake Predators

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The Horseshoe whip snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis) on Ibiza: predator release in an invasive population

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/15685381-bja10039 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Elba Montes ◽

Mónica Feriche ◽

Esmeralda Alaminos ◽

Juan Manuel Pleguezuelos

Keyword(s):

Lower Incidence ◽

Enemy Release Hypothesis ◽

Invasion Success ◽

Enemy Release ◽

Source Population ◽

Invasive Population ◽

Breakage Rate ◽

Snake Predators ◽

Whip Snake ◽

Predator Release

Abstract The key to fighting a biological invasion may lie in understanding every variable that can explain its success. The Enemy Release Hypothesis (ERH) states that when an invader arrives to a new environment, the absence of its common enemies (predators, parasites and competitors) facilitates the invasion success. The Horseshoe whip snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis) has been recently introduced from the Iberian Peninsula to the island of Ibiza, and it is currently threatening the only endemic vertebrate, the Ibiza wall lizard (Podarcis pityusensis). We hypothesized that the snake invasion success is caused by the absence of natural predators, and we checked the ERH by relating the tail breakage rate to predation pressure. The invasive population showed a much lower incidence of tail breakage than the source population, which is in agreement with the almost absence of snake predators among the Ibizan reduced and naïve native vertebrate community. These results confirm the ERH, and support the prolongation of invasive snake trapping campaigns.

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Right-handed snakes: convergent evolution of asymmetry for functional specialization

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2006.0600 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 169-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Masaki Hoso ◽

Takahiro Asami ◽

Michio Hori

Keyword(s):

Directional Asymmetry ◽

Foraging Efficiency ◽

Functional Specialization ◽

Soft Body ◽

Ecological Requirements ◽

Feeding Experiments ◽

Key Innovation ◽

The Right ◽

Snake Predators ◽

Symmetry Break

External asymmetry found in diverse animals bears critical functions to fulfil ecological requirements. Some snail-eating arthropods exhibit directional asymmetry in their feeding apparatus for foraging efficiency because dextral (clockwise) species are overwhelmingly predominant in snails. Here, we show convergence of directional asymmetry in the dentition of snail-eating vertebrates. We found that snakes in the subfamily Pareatinae, except for non-snail-eating specialists, have more teeth on the right mandible than the left. In feeding experiments, a snail-eating specialist Pareas iwasakii completed extracting a dextral soft body faster with fewer mandible retractions than a sinistral body. The snakes failed in holding and dropped sinistral snails more often owing to behavioural asymmetry when striking. Our results demonstrate that symmetry break in dentition is a key innovation that has opened a unique ecological niche for snake predators.

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From tameness to wariness: chemical recognition of snake predators by lizards in a Mediterranean island

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.2828 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e2828 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Abraham Mencía ◽

Zaida Ortega ◽

Valentín Pérez-Mellado

Keyword(s):

Slow Motion ◽

Predation Pressure ◽

Main Island ◽

Chemical Recognition ◽

Introduced Predators ◽

Podarcis Lilfordi ◽

Podarcis Siculus ◽

Mediterranean Island ◽

Snake Predators ◽

High Degree

Antipredatory defenses are maintained when benefit exceeds cost. A weak predation pressure may lead insular lizards to tameness.Podarcis lilfordiexhibits a high degree of insular tameness, which may explain its extinction from the main island of Menorca when humans introduced predators. There are three species of lizards in Menorca: the nativeP. lilfordi, only on the surrounding islets, and two introduced lizards in the main island,Scelarcis perspicillataandPodarcis siculus. In addition, there are three species of snakes, all introduced: one non-saurophagous (Natrix maura), one potentially non-saurophagous (Rhinechis scalaris) and one saurophagous (Macroprotodon mauritanicus). We studied the reaction to snake chemical cues in five populations: (1)P. lilfordiof Colom, (2)P. lilfordiof Aire, (3)P. lilfordiof Binicodrell, (4)S. perspicillata, and (5)P. siculus, ordered by increasing level of predation pressure. The three snakes are present in the main island, while onlyR. scalarisis present in Colom islet, Aire and Binicodrell being snake-free islets. We aimed to assess the relationship between predation pressure and the degree of insular tameness regarding scent recognition. We hypothesized thatP. lilfordishould show the highest degree of tameness,S. perspicillatashould show intermediate responses, andP. siculusshould show the highest wariness. Results are clear: neitherP. lilfordinorS. perspicillatarecognize any of the snakes, whileP. siculusrecognizes the scent ofM. mauritanicusand reacts to it with typical well-defined antipredatory behaviours as tail waving and slow motion. These results rise questions about the loss of chemical recognition of predators during island tameness and its related costs and benefits for lizards of insular habitats. In addition, this highlights the necessity for strong conservation measures to avoid the introduction of alien predators.

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