Spatial Ecology of the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) and Northern Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey

Abstract

In New Jersey, Crotalus horridus , a state-endangered species, and Pituophis melanoleucus , a state-threatened species, are vulnerable to extirpation due to habitat loss and direct human impacts. I used radio-telemetry to determine the spatial ecology of these two species at the Warren Grove Range (WGR). Crotalus horridus had no significant differences in home range size, seasonal activity, core activity area, range length, distance traveled per day, or seasonal differences in distance traveled per day between male and female snakes. They utilized hardwood swamp habitat the greatest proportion of use as compared to the six other habitat types identified at WGR. Pituophis melanoleucus had no significant differences in home range size, core activity area, range length, or distance traveled per day, between sexes or between locations in or outside of the target zone. Pituophis melanoleucus tracked in 2005 and 2006 traveled larger total distance, larger distance per day, and had larger home range compared to snakes in 2003 and 2004. There were no significant differences in maximum distance dispersed or location of hibernacula within home range by year or sex for P. melanoleucus , which moved in all potential directions away from their hibernaculum, up to 2764.1 m away. A circular buffer around a hibernation site, based on dispersal distances, encompasses 2388 ha of land need to protect habitat and resources for the subpopulations of each hibernaculum. A minimum of 2388 ha, should be protected around hibernacula to support the current population of P. melanoleucus . The WGR is an important location for snakes because the landscape is protected, relatively inaccessible, and free of negative impacts associated with urban development, agriculture, and high-use paved roadways. These data on the spatial ecology of these two snakes are important as baselines for evaluating threats to these snakes and can aid in developing mitigation and conservation strategies in light of the continued development in the Pine Barrens.%%%%Ph.D., Environmental Science – Drexel University, 2013