Meeting Abstract
Laboratory biomechanical studies on viperid snake strikes have documented exceptional levels of performance. However, it is not known what level of performance snakes attain under natural conditions. Given the vagaries of the natural environment and potential differences in intrinsic motivation, performance under natural conditions could be substantially better or worse than that documented in the laboratory. In addition, the majority of previous strike kinematic studies have relied on lab mice or inanimate objects as surrogates for prey, so we do not know how the level of performance affects success rates in encounters with free ranging prey that have co-evolved with snake predators. Finally, we know little about the relative timing and strike trajectory of rattlesnakes feeding on highly evasive prey. We studied the biomechanics of 32 strike attempts between free-ranging sidewinder rattlesnakes (Crotalus cerastes ) and desert kangaroo rats (Dipodomys deserti ). We positioned two high-speed cameras (500 fps) with infrared lighting on rattlesnakes (located using radio telemetry) that were actively hunting and recorded any predatory strike attempts that were made towards desert kangaroo rats. We then quantified the speed, acceleration, timing, and trajectory of movements of rattlesnakes to determine how the level of performance naturally achieved compares to previous lab studies, and to describe how snakes perform when striking natural prey species capable of rapid evasive maneuvers.
