PAHERP Forum » Herp Talk

1. 

   Daileye1
   Member

   Just a Thought... Does the status of gravid make the snake more susceptible to predation? From the recently posted photos by Mr Wolfe and others it looks like they would be too large to move effectively and would have limited options to seek alternate hiding areas if they were to be aggravated out of their nesting areas.

   Posted 2 years ago #
2. 

   flip3238
   Member

   Gravid snakes are more susceptible to predation due to the fact that they hang out at a gestation site or rookery all summer to raise their body temperatures for giving birth in late summer. This makes them easy targets for hawks and owls because the places they pick are usually open for sunning and they rarely leave the area. This also makes them easy targets for poaching. Non gravid females and males only frequent these open areas for quick basking after meals or for shedding. Most of the time they are in the woods foraging and are not as easily found.

   Posted 2 years ago #
3. 

   Rattler
   Member

   Also, for a chubby mommy (gravid) they can actually move very well!

   Posted 2 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.