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The purpose of this study was to identify how various proximate factors of the rapid rattlesnake strike affect predatory behavior and thus in turn affect the resulting envenomation and capture of the prey. The results indicate that the larger the snake, the more likely it was to hold, rather than quickly release, prey. Snakes possessed a ready reserve of venom sufficient to envenomatc up to four mice in close succession without loss of killing effectiveness. The head/thorax site on mice was the region most frequently struck and also the site of venom injection that led to the fastest prey death. Small mice were more often retained in the jaws rather than released and occasionally evoked no envenomation at all. A retaliatory bite to the head or body of an attacking snake encouraged a quick release of the prey. Retention of mice following the strike enhanced the severity of envenomation. Poor envenomation on the first strike led to a second or even a third follow-up strike. Unlike defensive strikes, offensive (predatory) strikes resulted in no "dry" bites. This suggests that jaw mechanics may be disrupted during defensive strikes or that the snake can actually control its expenditure of venom. Artificial reduction of venom reserves by "milking" the venom glands resulted in poor envenomation but stimulated no change in the basic hold/release behavior.The predatory strike of the rattlesnake includes a wide repertoire of behavioral options. The rattlesnake may hold or release the prey, strike the prey at different sites along its body, strike the same prey once or several times, and release variable quantities of venom. In turn, these options may be affected by the size of the snake, the reaction of the prey, and the number of prey already struck. Certainly the feeding behavior includes other options (KJauber, 1956) and is subject to modification by other factors (Chiszar, Radcliffe, O'Con-
Squamate prey capture evolved in two general directions; one toward an emphasis upon lingual prehension and the other toward an emphasis upon jaw prehension. In basal squamates (lguania), lingual prehension characterizes prey capture. All other squamates (Scleroglossa) tend to use their jaws for prey prehension and the role of the tongue as a prehensile organ is reduced. However, within some scierogJossan lizards, lingual and jaw modes of prehension are present Selection of a distinct prehension mode during a feeding bout in these lizards has been hypothesized to be related to prey size. To test for the presence of lingual prehension and correlation with prey size, we examined feeding behavior in the blue-tongued skink, Tiliqua scincoides using two prey types (mealworm and cricket>. We confirmed that this skink uses both lingual and jaw modes of prehension with accompanying characteristic jaw kinematic profiles. With crickets, only jaw prehension was exhibited, but both modes were used when feeding on equivalently sized prey, meal worms. Consequently, prehension mode is not exclusively elicited by prey size. We, therefore, hypoth esize that selection of prehension modes, lingual or jaws, in these basal scleroglossans also includes prox imate factors related to prey behavior.
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