🐍 Vipers are like cats, they avoid water, which does not mean that tigers cannot swim !
🐍 Vipers are like cats, they avoid water, which does not mean that tigers cannot swim !
For many years, it was believed that some vipers could not swim and were even prone to drowning easily.
The habitat of some European vipers kept them away from water and the food associated with it.
🕵 All this shows us that we can still discover new behaviors and learn about the nature that surrounds us.
🕵 Many people saw vipers near the water, some saw them swimming, some saw them running into the water. It is so important to document knowledge and observations so they are not lost and can be shared with others.
🐍 How about a the Iberian Asp Viper, (Vipera aspis zinnikeri) that hunts frogs in the water? To devour their dead bodies moments later ?
🐸 Hunting amphibians is not a behavior often documented for this species.
Amphibians themselves are also not commonly found in this snake's diet.
☠️ Add to this scavenging, which is also rare in snakes, and you get a picture of our recently published work.
🤝 Together with my friends, we published all of these behaviors with detailed photos and videos. Matthieu Berroneau and Thierry Gagliano
🐍 Snakes adapt to their environment through their behavior, diet choices, and opportunism.
🗝 Observations such as these, even as single events, can broaden the scope of information about the natural history and the plasticity of the ecology and diet of vipers.
I invite you to read the full text here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/396930796_Attempted_scavenging_and_aquatic_hunting_in_the_Iberian_Asp_Viper_Vipera_aspis_zinnikeri_Kramer_1958
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Naturalist, traveler, French-Polish herpetologist, interested in biodiversity and the conservation of herpetofauna. I have always been passionate about observing and studying amphibians and reptiles, especially different species of lizards in many countries. This has allowed me to gain experience in scientific research by collaborating with other specialists, attending numerous conferences and writing papers on herpetofauna. I participate in numerous monitoring and conservation programmes. Member of the IUCN SSC Monitor Lizard Specialist Group. Addicted to Natural History.
Education and the sharing of knowledge is the key to progress and understanding.
"Learning from the past to understand the present and prepare the future."
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Amazing work!! Is it possible that these prey/ prey attempts are due to any other factors relating to the diet, such as temperature drop? I have also observed pit vipers near the water bodies, particularly at night, since they are nocturnal, which could be a prey attempt on amphibians, perhaps.
The influence of temperature on prey selection has not yet been studied, with most studies pointing to environmental factors as key. What species of viper do you usually observe?