Eastern Hog‐Nosed Snake Habitat Selection at Multiple Spatial Scales in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

ABSTRACTHabitat loss is the greatest contributor to the decline of species globally. To prioritize protection of imperiled species, it is important to examine habitat use at multiple spatial scales because the availability of different resources and habitat features is scale dependent. We conducted a radio‐telemetry study in the Long Point region of Ontario, Canada, in 2009 and 2010 to examine habitat selection at multiple spatial scales by eastern hog‐nosed snakes (Heterodon platirhinos), a species at risk in Canada. We documented the habitat composition of home ranges compared to the surrounding landscape, the selection of locations within home ranges based on classified satellite imagery, and the use of microhabitat features based on site characterization in the field. At the scale of the home ranges, hog‐nosed snakes avoided areas of agriculture and selected sand barrens. Within home ranges, hog‐nosed snakes selectively used areas altered by humans (e.g., residential sites, openings in tree plantations). Microhabitats used by hog‐nosed snakes had more woody debris, logs, and lower vegetative coverage than adjoining random sites. Because hog‐nosed snakes prefer open areas and require sandy soils for nesting, management efforts should focus on the conservation and maintenance of sand barrens and patches of early successional forest. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.