Influences of Diet and Family on Age of Maturation in Brown House Snakes, Lamprophis fuliginosus

The role of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in growth and reproduction in female brown house snakes (Lamprophis fuliginosus)

“…Neonates in this study were the offspring of adult males and females collected in Arusha, Tanzania, and bred in the laboratory. The design of the growth experiment is described in detail by Byars (2008). All snakes were housed in separate containers and maintained on a 12:12 light:dark cycle at temperatures held between 27 and 30°C.…”

“…Snakes were weighed and measured snout-to-vent length (SVL) at birth and subsequently on a monthly basis; food intake was recorded at each feeding. Marked differences in growth rate were displayed among snakes (e.g., ranging from 0.01 to 0.37 mm/day between 3 and 6 months of age), with low-feeding snakes taking 11 months on average to reach the sizes high-feeding snakes reached at 6 months (Byars, 2008).…”

“…Since L. fuliginosus is a tropical non-seasonal breeder and a rapidly developing species with sexual maturity occurring as early as 6 months of age (Ford and Seigel, 2006;Byars, 2008), we were able to raise these snakes through a full developmental and reproductive cycle within one year and examine the relationship between plasma IGF-1 and growth, sexual maturation and reproduction. Snakes were raised on different feeding rates to ensure a wide diversity in growth rate, age at maturation, and age at first reproduction (Byars, 2008).…”

“…Since L. fuliginosus is a tropical non-seasonal breeder and a rapidly developing species with sexual maturity occurring as early as 6 months of age (Ford and Seigel, 2006;Byars, 2008), we were able to raise these snakes through a full developmental and reproductive cycle within one year and examine the relationship between plasma IGF-1 and growth, sexual maturation and reproduction. Snakes were raised on different feeding rates to ensure a wide diversity in growth rate, age at maturation, and age at first reproduction (Byars, 2008). By taking blood samples at several time points prior to and following first reproduction, we sought to establish (1) a positive relationship between plasma IGF-1 and early-life feeding and growth rates, (2) a rise in IGF-1 prior to first reproduction, suggesting involvement in maturation, and (3) a rise in IGF-1 during the 3-week period of gravidity, suggesting involvement in embryogenesis.…”

Consequences of complex environments: Temperature and energy intake interact to influence growth and metabolic rate

“…All snakes were 5-6 months old at the onset of the study, and we individually housed them in translucent plastic enclosures (270 mm × 410 mm × 150 mm) with ad libitum access to water in a room with a 12:12 light:dark cycle that was maintained at 20-22°C. Prior to the study, we offered each snake a prey item (sub-adult mouse that was 15-20% of weight of the snake to which it was offered) two times per week, which represents a high-food diet for colubrid snakes (Byars et al, 2010). We thawed commercially available mice that were pre-killed and previously frozen prior to offering.…”