Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert
The study was conducted to record seasonal variation in the diet composition of the burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis. A total of 65 snake specimens (35 males and 30 females) were collected from Al-Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia. The captured individuals were weighed, measured and dissected to r...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of King Saud University: Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1018364720301154 |
| _version_ | 1819019880100265984 |
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| author | Mohammed Khalid Al-Sadoon Bilal Ahamad Paray Hassan A. Rudayni Abdul Rahman Al-Mfarij Mohammed Fahad Albeshr |
| author_facet | Mohammed Khalid Al-Sadoon Bilal Ahamad Paray Hassan A. Rudayni Abdul Rahman Al-Mfarij Mohammed Fahad Albeshr |
| author_sort | Mohammed Khalid Al-Sadoon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The study was conducted to record seasonal variation in the diet composition of the burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis. A total of 65 snake specimens (35 males and 30 females) were collected from Al-Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia. The captured individuals were weighed, measured and dissected to record the stomach content. The study showed that this carnivorous snake is nocturnal and feeds on rodents (75%), lizards 15% (Geckos and worm lizards), small snakes (7%) and unidentified materials (3%) independent of its sex. This finding is attributed to the intensive spread of rodents in the study area contributes in the preference of such type of food. With regard to the monthly and seasonal behavior of feeding, A. engaddensis was more active forager in terms of gut contents in May and November followed by June and September. The percentage of total amount of diet (g) in the stomach of A. engaddensis was highest in spring followed by autumn and summer. The activity of this snake was found to be decreased or ceased during winter months (December to February) owing to the decrease of temperature. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T03:42:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ba7e47b5226a4760ae9130051d4621fd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1018-3647 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T03:42:20Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of King Saud University: Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-ba7e47b5226a4760ae9130051d4621fd2022-12-21T19:17:11ZengElsevierJournal of King Saud University: Science1018-36472020-06-0132423932396Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desertMohammed Khalid Al-Sadoon0Bilal Ahamad Paray1Hassan A. Rudayni2Abdul Rahman Al-Mfarij3Mohammed Fahad Albeshr4Corresponding author.; Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University - 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaZoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University - 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaZoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University - 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaZoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University - 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaZoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University - 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaThe study was conducted to record seasonal variation in the diet composition of the burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis. A total of 65 snake specimens (35 males and 30 females) were collected from Al-Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia. The captured individuals were weighed, measured and dissected to record the stomach content. The study showed that this carnivorous snake is nocturnal and feeds on rodents (75%), lizards 15% (Geckos and worm lizards), small snakes (7%) and unidentified materials (3%) independent of its sex. This finding is attributed to the intensive spread of rodents in the study area contributes in the preference of such type of food. With regard to the monthly and seasonal behavior of feeding, A. engaddensis was more active forager in terms of gut contents in May and November followed by June and September. The percentage of total amount of diet (g) in the stomach of A. engaddensis was highest in spring followed by autumn and summer. The activity of this snake was found to be decreased or ceased during winter months (December to February) owing to the decrease of temperature.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1018364720301154Atractaspis engaddensisDietSeasonalNocturnalArid desertSaudi Arabia |
| spellingShingle | Mohammed Khalid Al-Sadoon Bilal Ahamad Paray Hassan A. Rudayni Abdul Rahman Al-Mfarij Mohammed Fahad Albeshr Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert Journal of King Saud University: Science Atractaspis engaddensis Diet Seasonal Nocturnal Arid desert Saudi Arabia |
| title | Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert |
| title_full | Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert |
| title_short | Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert |
| title_sort | seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp atractaspis engaddensis haas 1950 from natural habitats of an arid arabian desert |
| topic | Atractaspis engaddensis Diet Seasonal Nocturnal Arid desert Saudi Arabia |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1018364720301154 |
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