Duration of strike‐induced chemosensory searching in long‐term captive rattlesnakes at national zoo, audubon zoo, and San Diego Zoo

Abstract

AbstractRattlesnakes typically strike and release adult rodent prey. Striking is followed by a sustained, high rate of tongue flicking that guides the snake to the envenomated, dead prey. Wild‐caught rattlesnakes exhibited this chemosensory searching for about 2.5 h, and the present study demonstrated that long‐term captive rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox, C durissus, C horridus, C vegrandis, C unicolor) at three zoos did the same. Because these zoo‐raised snakes had always been offered dead rodents and because the snakes had become accustomed to ingesting them without striking, the present snakes had rarely exercised their innate predatory repertoires. The duration of chemosensory searching in these snakes indicates that this important aspect of the predatory repertoire had not been degraded as a consequence of long‐term captive husbandry.