Crepuscular and nocturnal activity of the Nose-horned viper, Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) is more common than previously reported

By

Dyugmedzhiev, Angel
Andonov, Kostadin
Popgeorgiev, Georgi
Naumov, Borislav
Kornilev, Yurii V.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020-9-30

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

33

Pages

165--169

Subjects

Behavior , Ecology , snake , Temperature , Viperidae

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.33.e56520

 

Abstract

Different snake species may be active at various times of the day. In Europe, most snake species are predominantly diurnal, but about a third are partially or principally crepuscular and/or nocturnal. Here, we report the first instance of multiplein situobservations of the crepuscular and nocturnal activity ofV. ammodytesin Bulgaria. Overall, usually as a result of general herpetological surveys and chance observations between 2001–2020, we recorded crepuscular/nocturnal activity of twenty-seven individuals from both sexes and all age classes (juvenile to adult), observed from April to September, following warm (maximum daily Tair= 20–28 °C) and hot (Tair> 28 °C) days. These records represent less than 1.5% of all our personal viper observations. However, given that our observations occurred throughout the country, within five different climatic zones, we hypothesise that nocturnal activity ofV. ammodytesis more common than previously reported.