BEVELANDER, G.S.; SMITH, T.L.; KARDONG, K.V.; POVEL, G.D.E.: Poststrike chemosensory trailing in dusky pigmy rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliaris barbouri)

Rattlesnakes generally strike and immediately release envenomated rodent prey and then begin a series of precise poststrike behaviors that allow the recovery of the rodent. However it is less well known if they will follow the odor trails of other prey types (lizards and frogs). In examining the poststrike trailing behavior of the dusky pigmy rattlesnake our purpose was two-fold: First, we documented and compared trailing behavior on rodent odor trails in the pigmy rattlesnake (genus Sisturus) with other previously well-documented trailing behavior in the northern Pacific rattlesnake (genus Crotalus). Second, because the diet of the pigmy rattlesnake consists regularly of several prey types we compared the trailing behavior on different prey odor types (rodent, lizard, frog). We found that pigmy rattlesnakes trail rodent trails, however they do not trail at the same level of success as the northern Pacific rattlesnake. And, although pigmy rattlesnakes can and do trail frog and lizard trails poststrike, their trailing success of these envenomated prey is considerably less than when rodents are the prey. These differences with other rattlesnakes and within the pigmy rattlesnake itself may be correlated with differences in ecological and morphological features.