Nesting Behavior of Pine Snakes (Pituophis m. melanoleucus) in the New Jersey Pine Barrens

Burger, Joanna; Zappalorti, Robert T.

doi:10.2307/1564642

Cited by 31 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Loose, sandy substrate on a south-facing aspect appears to be important to the subspecies P. c. deserticola in British Columbia, and rodent burrows are sometimes modified and enlarged by the female of this subspecies, although there ap pears to be no record of this subspecies excavating its own burrows (Shewchuk 1996). Bullsnakes, however, like the Northern Pine Snakes which are known to dig their own nests (Burger and Zappalorti 1991), are characterized by a similar, heavier skull structure better adapted to burrowing than that of P. c. deserticola, (Knight 1986). Bullsnakes at Bullsnake Bluff have in deed been witnessed digging their own burrows utilizing the method described by Carpenter (1982) for Bullsnakes and by Burger and Zappalorti (1991) for Pine Snakes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bullsnakes, however, like the Northern Pine Snakes which are known to dig their own nests (Burger and Zappalorti 1991), are characterized by a similar, heavier skull structure better adapted to burrowing than that of P. c. deserticola, (Knight 1986). Bullsnakes at Bullsnake Bluff have in deed been witnessed digging their own burrows utilizing the method described by Carpenter (1982) for Bullsnakes and by Burger and Zappalorti (1991) for Pine Snakes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gravid females have been observed on the surface of the bluff traveling slowly and digging "pre-test holes" as described for Pine Snakes in New Jersey (Burger and Zappalorti 1991) by probing the substrate with their snouts, apparently testing the suitability of the soil for excavation. Dump piles of soil were not only located outside nest burrows at Bullsnake Bluff, but inside the antechamber of Nest #1 as well.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bullsnake, <em>Pituophis catenifer sayi</em>, Nesting Biology in Alberta

Wright

2008

Can Field Nat

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Bullsnakes were opportunistically observed at a site on Alberta’s Red Deer River at the northern extreme of their range near the town of Drumheller. This site is significant for its importance to the local nesting ecology of this snake. Data were collected from captured snakes, and individuals were marked and photographed to enable identification upon subsequent recapture. A minimum of 39 adult Bullsnakes were known to utilize a single bluff over a period spanning five years from 1998 to 2002. Fifteen gravid females were found over this span nesting in a single burrow complex. Bullsnakes were found to excavate their own nesting burrows at the site, and to show nest site fidelity. The congregation of numbers of these snakes at localized sites of importance to nesting biology renders them potentially vulnerable, and may present conservation challenges.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bullsnake, <em>Pituophis catenifer sayi</em>, Nesting Biology in Alberta

Wright

2008

Can Field Nat

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“…During this time the young remaining in the nest are vulnerable to predators because of the lingering odor of the hatched eggs. Pine snake hatchlings in the pine barrens are exposed to a variety of predators, including hawks, owls, foxes and other mammals, which they avoid by finding cover under pine boughs or other debris (Burger and Zappalorti 1988b). The ability to respond quickly might protect hatchlings from predators or people, particularly if they use visual or vibratory cues to withdraw before they are noticed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The behavioral response of emerging pine snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus) to people: implications for survival and protection

Burger

2007

Urban Ecosyst

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Considerable attention has been devoted to the effects of people on birds and mammals, usually in wilderness areas. In contrast, human disturbance of reptiles has largely been ignored. Many reptiles, such as snakes, are hard to conserve because they are difficult to locate and protect. The young are especially vulnerable to predators when they first hatch and must emerge from nest sites. In this paper, the response of pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) hatchlings to the presence and handling by people was observed in the laboratory and in the field. Pine snakes lay their eggs in underground burrows in open sandy pine barrens, and the hatchlings push their way to the surface to emerge. Hatchlings that were visually-disturbed or touched as they emerged returned immediately to their tunnels and nests, and required more time to re-emerge than did their siblings that were not visually-disturbed or touched during their initial disturbance. In nature, undisturbed pine snakes showed similar re-emergence times to those from the laboratory, and disturbed snakes required longer to re-emerge. These data suggest that in nature even the presence of people in nesting areas of pine snakes would lengthen the time the young are in burrows, exposing them to additional threats from predators. This suggests that parks or nature reserves with vulnerable snake populations should restrict human disturbance during the period when young snakes are emerging from their nests. Field observations indicate that a set-back distance of more than 12 m from known nesting areas is essential to protect emerging hatchlings.

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“…No study including both size of eggs and clutches, with a sample >5 bullsnakes, is available (Fitch, 1999). Similarly, although the genus Pituophis spans >298 of latitude and 298 of longitude, only five studies of reproduction with samples of >10 females are available (Parker and Brown, 1980;Zappalorti et al, 1983;Burger and Zappalorti, 1991;Diller and Wallace, 1996;Shewchuk, 1996). However, three of those refer to one western subspecies and two others refer to the same eastern population.…”

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confidence: 99%