LADUC, T. J.; DUDLEY, R.: Striking differences between six species of rattlesnakes? A comparative study into body size effects on the predatory strike of rattlesnakes

The selective forces on ontogenetic scaling relationships within species may differ from the forces shaping allometric relationships among species. However, cranial measurements from a diverse assemblage of taxa suggest that ontogenetic and allometric scaling relationships may be identical. The goal of this study is to examine whether intraspecific kinematic patterns of rattlesnake feeding strikes mirror kinematic patterns among several rattlesnake taxa. Multiple strikes from six different rattlesnake species (4-6 individuals/taxon) were filmed using a high-speed video camera (1000 fps), and a diversity of speed, distance, and behavioral parameters were analyzed. Intraspecific data from western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) indicate maximal acceleration rates do not vary between small and large snakes. An analysis of interspecific acceleration rates will test the hypothesis that intraspecific performance variation can also explain interspecific variation. Deviations from the intraspecific allometric trajectory (i.e. similarly sized adults of different species having similar accelerations) may indicate additional structural modifications at the species level.