Abstract
We studied the defensive strike of one species of each of five recognized lineages within the genus Bothrops, namely, B. alternatus, B. jararaca, B. jararacussu, B. moojeni and B. pauloensis. The defensive strike of the studied species was in general similar to that of Crotalus viridis and C. atrox, but some important differences were observed. Bothrops alternatus and B. pauloensis struck preferentially from a tight body posture, whereas B. jararaca and B. moojeni from a loose body posture. Defensive strikes were either true or false (during the latter, the mouth remains closed or partially open). Almost all strikes were successful; only on a few occasions snakes missed their target (flawed strikes). Strike variables were very conservative among the five species, especially strike distance and height, and one possible explanation may be related to constraints imposed on strike variables as a way of increasing strike accuracy.
Highlights
Most knowledge of the strike of viperids is based on and limited to North-American rattlesnakes (e.g. Van Ripper, 1955; Kardong, 1986; LaDuc, 2002). Kardong (1986) compared the predatory and defensive strikes of Crotalus viridis oreganus and observed some differences between them
The defensive strikes observed in our study had the same overall “stabbing” appearance of those described for C. viridis (Kardong, 1986) and C. atrox (LaDuc, 2002), as opposed to the “biting” appearance of the predatory strike
The studied Bothrops species very rarely launched strikes from head-hiding postures (Table 3), which seems to be an important difference between the striking behavior of lanceheads and that of C. viridis (Duvall et al, 1985) and C. atrox
Summary
Most knowledge of the strike of viperids is based on and limited to North-American rattlesnakes (e.g. Van Ripper, 1955; Kardong, 1986; LaDuc, 2002). Kardong (1986) compared the predatory and defensive strikes of Crotalus viridis oreganus and observed some differences between them. Kardong (1986) compared the predatory and defensive strikes of Crotalus viridis oreganus and observed some differences between them. Predatory strikes were flawed sometimes, which was not observed in the defensive strike (Kardong, 1986). In another species, C. atrox, defensive strikes were reported to be faster than predatory strikes (LaDuc, 2002). Defensive strikes launched during head-hiding, commonly observed in C. viridis (Kardong, 1986), were rarely observed in B. jararaca (Sazima, 1992). In comparing the defensive strike of B. jararaca to those of other congeneric species, Sazima (1988) suggested that the strike of B. jararaca is slower than that of B. moojeni and
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