Quantifying Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri) Hunting Behavior through Community Science

Emily R Urquidi,Breanna J Putman

doi:10.3390/d13080349

Abstract

It is increasingly important to study animal behaviors as these are the first responses organisms mount against environmental changes. Rattlesnakes, in particular, are threatened by habitat loss and human activity, and require costly tracking by researchers to quantify the behaviors of wild individuals. Here, we show how photo-vouchered observations submitted by community members can be used to study cryptic predators like rattlesnakes. We utilized two platforms, iNaturalist and HerpMapper, to study the hunting behaviors of wild Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes. From 220 observation photos, we quantified the direction of the hunting coil (i.e., “handedness”), microhabitat use, timing of observations, and age of the snake. With these data, we looked at whether snakes exhibited an ontogenetic shift in behaviors. We found no age differences in coil direction. However, there was a difference in the microhabitats used by juveniles and adults while hunting. We also found that juveniles were most commonly observed during the spring, while adults were more consistently observed throughout the year. Overall, our study shows the potential of using community science to study the behaviors of cryptic predators.

Highlights

Predators play a vital role in ecosystems, exhibiting top-down effects within their respective food chains [1]
We searched for photo-vouchered observations of Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes on two community science platforms: iNaturalist and HerpMapper
We found that juveniles (X2 = 0.008, df = 1, p-value = 0.930) and adults (X2 = 0.011, df = 1, p = 0.917) were both likely to coil clockwise or anticlockwise, and age had no effect on coil direction. (X2 = 0.177, df = 1, p = 0.674, Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

Predators play a vital role in ecosystems, exhibiting top-down effects within their respective food chains [1]. They regulate prey abundance and competition [2], and have been shown to affect prey foraging behavior and microhabitat use [3]. Because a predator’s reproduction and survival are linked to acquiring prey, many predators have evolved diverse adaptations to capture prey, including morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits [4,5]. The ways in which predators hunt (i.e., their behavior) can affect their relative fitness. We often lack information on key traits such as how predators hunt and whether hunting behaviors change ontogenetically. With an increase of data and the use of community science, the general public could generate information on how predatory organisms impact ecosystems [6], and can lead to interest in predator-based conservation [7]

Methods

Results

Conclusion