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30 March 2020 Diet and Feeding Ecology of Crotalus tzabcan (Serpentes: Viperidae)
Rubén A. Carbajal-Márquez, J. Rogelio Cedeño-Vázquez, David González-Solís, Marcio Martins
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Abstract

The Tzabcan rattlesnake (Crotalus tzabcan) is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula and is part of the C. durissus complex. Although relatively widespread, it is rather an uncommon species; therefore, little is known about its natural history. Herein, we describe the diet of C. tzabcan on the basis of data from field encounters, museum specimens, and published data. Dietary samples were collected from Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán, Mexico, and literature records from Belize, representing most of the species' distribution range. Examination of 50 individuals resulted in 28 prey items obtained from 27 snakes. The diet of C. tzabcan consisted exclusively of mammals, including the orders Rodentia (86% of the prey items) and Soricomorpha (7%), and no ontogenetic shift in prey type was detected. However, an ontogenetic telescope is evident, where adults consume larger prey than juveniles but continue feeding on small prey. No sexual dimorphism in snout–vent length and total length was detected in C. tzabcan. No sexual differences in prey mass were found when controlling for snake body length, nor when comparing between sexes in adults and juveniles. The presence of prey was not related to snake collection date, suggesting year-round feeding. There was no difference in prey class and size among snakes from Yucatán dry forest and moist forest. These results suggest a homogenous diet among sexes, seasons, and populations. This is the first detailed study on the diet and feeding ecology of C. tzabcan, and it adds five new prey species: Cryptotys mayensis, Heteromys desmarestianus, H. gaumeri, Oryzomys couesi, and Rattus rattus, as well as two previously reported ones: Mus musculus and Sigmodon toltecus. These findings contrast with anecdotal reports of C. tzabcan consuming reptiles and birds and show many similarities with the related species C. durissus. Additional studies on the natural history of C. tzabcan and related species would help to better understand how the feeding ecology of Neotropical rattlesnakes differs from those species of temperate zones.

© 2020 Brazilian Society of Herpetology
Rubén A. Carbajal-Márquez, J. Rogelio Cedeño-Vázquez, David González-Solís, and Marcio Martins "Diet and Feeding Ecology of Crotalus tzabcan (Serpentes: Viperidae)," South American Journal of Herpetology 2020(15), 9-19, (30 March 2020). https://doi.org/10.2994/SAJH-D-17-00081.1
Received: 4 September 2017; Accepted: 27 September 2018; Published: 30 March 2020
KEYWORDS
Crotalinae
mammals
prey
rattlesnake
Yucatán Peninsula
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