Microhabitat sharing for basking between squamate species in Poland

By

Zdunek, Przemysław
Jarmoliński, Maksymilian

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-3-27

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

36

Pages

65--71

Subjects

adder , aggregations , Anguis colchica , behavioural thermoregulation , Coronella austriaca , ectothermy , grass snake , group behaviour , herpetofauna of Poland , Reptiles

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.36.e94064

 

Abstract

Aggregations (e.g. group basking) by snakes are usually limited to specific life cycle phases (e.g. mating) or are a consequence of drastic environmental changes (e.g. habitat destruction), high prey densities or highly limited resources within an environment (e.g. basking sites, wintering dens). Here, we report intra- and interspecific observations of four reptile species (primarily Natrix natrix and Vipera berus) sharing basking sites at the confluence of the rivers Dunajec and Poprad near the town of Stary Sącz in southern Poland. From a total of 84 records in the field between 2020–2022, there were 11 interactions from 24 July 2020 to 1 May 2022. Previous studies have indicated direct competition or interference in many species, which we did not observe. There is a noticeable lack of such observations of microhabitat sharing for basking between squamate species in scientific literature. Hence, the accumulation of such observations has the potential to reveal new insights into the behaviour and ecology of N. natrix and V. berus.