Ecology of the Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis sauritus) in southern Alabama with evidence of seasonal multiple broods

dc.contributor.authorLangford, Gabriel J.
dc.contributor.authorBorden, Joel A.
dc.contributor.authorNelson, David H.
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-02T00:14:37Z
dc.date.available2022-11-02T00:14:37Z
dc.date.issued2011-12
dc.description.abstractStudies are lacking on the ecology of the Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis sauritus), especially in the southern United States. We describe some aspects of the sexual dimorphism, sex ratio, feeding habits, reproductive biology, and seasonal activity of the Eastern Ribbonsnake in a southern Alabama Tupelo-Gum swamp from 2003-2005. We captured 339 Eastern Ribbonsnakes 379 times; females were significantly longer than males, but males had longer tails. Snakes were active year-round, and the longest straight-line distance travelled by any snake was 1,050 m. Snakes consumed only frogs (Hyla spp. and Lithobates spp.); a shift occurred when juveniles switched from feeding on tadpoles to adult frogs. We found females had an extended reproductive season, producing broods April-October. Two females double brooded during the 2004 reproductive season, with 99 and 118 days between broods. The average brood size for Eastern Ribbonsnakes from six females that produced eight broods was 14 ± 3.18 (range 9-19). A reduction in brood size occurred in both females that produced multiple broods, but no decrease in neonate snout-vent length was detected between broods. Overall, our study provides needed natural history data from a southern location and the first evidence for multiple broods in a wild, temperate snake.en_US
dc.identifier.citationLangford, Gabriel & Borden, Joel & Nelson, David. (2011). Ecology of the Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis sauritus) in southern Alabama with evidence of seasonal multiple broods. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 6. 400-409.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1931-7603 (online)
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11416/899
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherHerpetological Conservation and Biologyen_US
dc.subjectEastern ribbonsnakeen_US
dc.subjectBiologyen_US
dc.titleEcology of the Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis sauritus) in southern Alabama with evidence of seasonal multiple broodsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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