Space use and mating activities in the speckled rattles nake

Abstract

Space use and mating activities in the speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) by Xavier Glaudas Dr. Javier A. Rodriguez, Examination Committee Chair Associate Professor and Associate Director of the School of Life Sciences University of Nevada, Las Vegas Our understanding of space use variation in response to the temporally varying importance of specific resources is poorly understood in reptiles, because spatial studies are rarely placed into an explicit ecological and behavioral context. I examined how space use differed between the mating and post-mating seasons, and how this variation related to three important resources, mating partners, food, and refuge, in an adult population of the speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) in the Mojave Desert of southwestern North America. During the mating season (late April to early June), C. mitchellii increased distance traveled per unit time, because wide-ranging behavior likely enhances mating opportunities, and males traveled more than females, because male reproductive success is strongly limited by access to females. At the home range level, Crotalus mitchellii did not select specific habitat types (rolling hills, slopes, rock outcrops) during the mating season. At the microhabitat level, snakes did not select specific locations where rodent prey was abundant, possibly because mating activities prevailed over foraging. However, snakes selected microhabitats close to rock refuges, which may partially explain the low predator-induced mortality observed during the