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Borczyk B. Sexual dimorphism in skull size and shape of Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae). PeerJ 2023; 11:e16266. [PMID: 37868070 PMCID: PMC10590095 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Sexual dimorphism in size and shape is widespread among squamate reptiles. Sex differences in snake skull size and shape are often accompanied by intersexual feeding niche separation. However, allometric trajectories underlying these differences remain largely unstudied in several lineages. The sea krait Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae) exhibits very clear sexual dimorphism in body size, with previous studies having reported females to be larger and to have a relatively longer and wider head. The two sexes also differ in feeding habits: males tend to prey in shallow water on muraenid eels, whereas females prey in deeper water on congerid eels. Methods I investigated sexual dimorphism in skull shape and size as well as the pattern of skull growth, to determine whether males and females follow the same ontogenetic trajectories. I studied skull characteristics and body length in 61 male and female sea kraits. Results The sexes differ in skull shape. Males and females follow distinct allometric trajectories. Structures associated with feeding performance are female-biased, whereas rostral and orbital regions are male-biased. The two sexes differ in allometric trajectories of feeding-related structures (female biased) that correspond to dietary divergence between the sexes. Conclusions Sea kraits exhibit clear sexual dimorphism in the skull form that may be explained by intersexual differences in the feeding habits as well as reproductive roles. The overall skull growth pattern resembles the typical pattern observed in other tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartosz Borczyk
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Coservation of Vertebrates, University of Wroclaw, Wrocław, Poland
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Dumont M, Milgram J, Herrel A, Shahar R, Shacham B, Houssin C, Delapré A, Cornette R, Segall M. Show Me Your Teeth And I Will Tell You What You Eat: Differences in Tooth Enamel in Snakes with Different Diets. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:265-275. [PMID: 37156518 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Teeth are composed of the hardest tissues in the vertebrate body and have been studied extensively to infer diet in vertebrates. The morphology and structure of enamel is thought to reflect feeding ecology. Snakes have a diversified diet, some species feed on armored lizards, others on soft invertebrates. Yet, little is known about how tooth enamel, and specifically its thickness, is impacted by diet. In this study, we first describe the different patterns of enamel distribution and thickness in snakes. Then, we investigate the link between prey hardness and enamel thickness and morphology by comparing the dentary teeth of 63 species of snakes. We observed that the enamel is deposited asymmetrically at the antero-labial side of the tooth. Both enamel coverage and thickness vary a lot in snakes, from species with thin enamel, only at the tip of the tooth to a full facet covered with enamel. There variations are related with prey hardness: snakes feeding on hard prey have a thicker enamel and a lager enamel coverage while species. Snakes feeding on softer prey have a thin enamel layer confined to the tip of the tooth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maïtena Dumont
- Laboratory of Bone Biomechanics, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, HUJI, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Joshua Milgram
- Laboratory of Bone Biomechanics, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, HUJI, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, UMR 7179, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Ron Shahar
- Laboratory of Bone Biomechanics, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, HUJI, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Boaz Shacham
- National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Céline Houssin
- Institut de Systématique Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, CP 50, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Delapré
- Institut de Systématique Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, CP 50, Paris, France
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institut de Systématique Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, CP 50, Paris, France
| | - Marion Segall
- Institut de Systématique Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, CP 50, Paris, France
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
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Segall M, Houssin C, Delapré A, Cornette R, Herrel A, Milgram J, Shahar R, Dumont M. Armed to the teeth: The underestimated diversity in tooth shape in snakes and its relation to feeding behavior and diet. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10011. [PMID: 37066060 PMCID: PMC10099486 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The structure, composition, and shape of teeth have been related to dietary specialization in many vertebrate species, but comparative studies on snakes' teeth are lacking. Yet, snakes have diverse dietary habits that may impact the shape of their teeth. We hypothesize that prey properties, such as hardness and shape, as well as feeding behavior, such as aquatic or arboreal predation, or holding vigorous prey, impose constraints on the evolution of tooth shape in snakes. We compared the morphology of the dentary teeth of 63 species that cover the phylogenetic and dietary diversity of snakes, using 3D geometric morphometrics and linear measurements. Our results show that prey hardness, foraging substrate, and the main feeding mechanical challenge are important drivers of tooth shape, size, and curvature. Overall, long, slender, curved teeth with a thin layer of hard tissue are observed in species that need to maintain a grip on their prey. Short, stout, less curved teeth are associated with species that undergo high or repeated loads. Our study demonstrates the diversity of tooth morphology in snakes and the need to investigate its underlying functional implications to better understand the evolution of teeth in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Segall
- Department of Life SciencesThe Natural History MuseumLondonUK
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UAParisFrance
| | - Céline Houssin
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UAParisFrance
| | - Arnaud Delapré
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UAParisFrance
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205Muséum National d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UAParisFrance
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, UMR 7179, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CNRSParisFrance
| | - Joshua Milgram
- Laboratory of Bone Biomechanics, Koret School of Veterinary MedicineThe Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, HUJIRehovotIsrael
| | - Ron Shahar
- Laboratory of Bone Biomechanics, Koret School of Veterinary MedicineThe Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, HUJIRehovotIsrael
| | - Maïtena Dumont
- Laboratory of Bone Biomechanics, Koret School of Veterinary MedicineThe Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, HUJIRehovotIsrael
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Kornilev YV, Natchev ND, Lillywhite HB. Perils of ingesting harmful prey by advanced snakes. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:263-283. [PMID: 36192825 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The advanced snakes (Alethinophidia) include the extant snakes with a highly evolved head morphology providing increased gape and jaw flexibility. Along with other physiological and morphological adaptations, this allows them to immobilize, ingest, and transport prey that may be disproportionately large or presents danger to the predator from bites, teeth, horns, or spines. Reported incidents of snakes failing to consume prey and being injured or killed during feeding mostly reflect information in the form of natural-history notes. Here we provide the first extensive review of such incidents, including 101 publications describing at least 143 cases of mortality (including six of 'multiple individuals') caused by ingestion or attempted consumption of injurious prey. We also report on 15 previously unpublished injurious feeding incidents from the USA, Austria, and Bulgaria, including mortality of five juvenile piscivorous dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) from a single location. Occurrences are spread across taxa, with mortality documented for at least 73 species from eight families and 45 genera. Incidents were generally well represented within each of three major categories: oversized prey (40.6%), potentially harmful prey (40.6%), and predator's behavioural/mechanical errors (18.9%). Reptile (33%) and fish (26%) prey caused disproportionately high mortality compared to mammals (16%). Feeding can be dangerous throughout a snake's life, with the later stages of feeding likely being more perilous. The number of reports has increased over time, and the data seem biased towards localities with a higher number of field-working herpetologists. We propose a standardized framework, comprising a set of basic information that should ideally be collected and published, and which could be useful as a template for future data collection, reporting, and analyses. We conclude that incidents of mortality during feeding are likely to be more common than previously assumed, and this hypothesis has implications for the ecology of persistence where populations are impacted by changing trophic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yurii V Kornilev
- Vertebrates Department, National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria.,Unit for Integrative Zoology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Vienna University, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolay D Natchev
- Unit for Integrative Zoology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Vienna University, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.,Faculty of Natural Science, Shumen University, 115 Universitetska Street, 9700, Shumen, Bulgaria
| | - Harvey B Lillywhite
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-8525, USA
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Mohammadi S, Yang L, Bulbert M, Rowland HM. Defence mitigation by predators of chemically defended prey integrated over the predation sequence and across biological levels with a focus on cardiotonic steroids. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220363. [PMID: 36133149 PMCID: PMC9449480 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions have long served as models for the investigation of adaptation and fitness in natural environments. Anti-predator defences such as mimicry and camouflage provide some of the best examples of evolution. Predators, in turn, have evolved sensory systems, cognitive abilities and physiological resistance to prey defences. In contrast to prey defences which have been reviewed extensively, the evolution of predator counter-strategies has received less attention. To gain a comprehensive view of how prey defences can influence the evolution of predator counter-strategies, it is essential to investigate how and when selection can operate. In this review we evaluate how predators overcome prey defences during (i) encounter, (ii) detection, (iii) identification, (iv) approach, (v) subjugation, and (vi) consumption. We focus on prey that are protected by cardiotonic steroids (CTS)-defensive compounds that are found in a wide range of taxa, and that have a specific physiological target. In this system, coevolution is well characterized between specialist insect herbivores and their host plants but evidence for coevolution between CTS-defended prey and their predators has received less attention. Using the predation sequence framework, we organize 574 studies reporting predators overcoming CTS defences, integrate these counter-strategies across biological levels of organization, and discuss the costs and benefits of attacking CTS-defended prey. We show that distinct lineages of predators have evolved dissecting behaviour, changes in perception of risk and of taste perception, and target-site insensitivity. We draw attention to biochemical, hormonal and microbiological strategies that have yet to be investigated as predator counter-adaptations to CTS defences. We show that the predation sequence framework will be useful for organizing future studies of chemically mediated systems and coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Mohammadi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Lu Yang
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew Bulbert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Oxford Brookes, Oxford, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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Mohammadi S, Yang L, Bulbert M, Rowland HM. Defence mitigation by predators of chemically defended prey integrated over the predation sequence and across biological levels with a focus on cardiotonic steroids. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220363. [PMID: 36133149 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6168216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions have long served as models for the investigation of adaptation and fitness in natural environments. Anti-predator defences such as mimicry and camouflage provide some of the best examples of evolution. Predators, in turn, have evolved sensory systems, cognitive abilities and physiological resistance to prey defences. In contrast to prey defences which have been reviewed extensively, the evolution of predator counter-strategies has received less attention. To gain a comprehensive view of how prey defences can influence the evolution of predator counter-strategies, it is essential to investigate how and when selection can operate. In this review we evaluate how predators overcome prey defences during (i) encounter, (ii) detection, (iii) identification, (iv) approach, (v) subjugation, and (vi) consumption. We focus on prey that are protected by cardiotonic steroids (CTS)-defensive compounds that are found in a wide range of taxa, and that have a specific physiological target. In this system, coevolution is well characterized between specialist insect herbivores and their host plants but evidence for coevolution between CTS-defended prey and their predators has received less attention. Using the predation sequence framework, we organize 574 studies reporting predators overcoming CTS defences, integrate these counter-strategies across biological levels of organization, and discuss the costs and benefits of attacking CTS-defended prey. We show that distinct lineages of predators have evolved dissecting behaviour, changes in perception of risk and of taste perception, and target-site insensitivity. We draw attention to biochemical, hormonal and microbiological strategies that have yet to be investigated as predator counter-adaptations to CTS defences. We show that the predation sequence framework will be useful for organizing future studies of chemically mediated systems and coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Mohammadi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Institut für Zell- und Systembiologie der Tiere, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Lu Yang
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew Bulbert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Oxford Brookes, Oxford, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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Pettit L, Somaweera R, Kaiser S, Ward-Fear G, Shine R. The Impact of Invasive Toads (Bufonidae) on Monitor Lizards (Varanidae): An Overview and Prospectus. THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1086/714483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Bringsøe H, Holden J. Yet another kukri snake piercing an anuran abdomen: Oligodon ocellatus (Morice, 1875) eats Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) in Vietnam. HERPETOZOA 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.34.e62689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A case of Oligodon ocellatus eating a toxic adult toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus, in Cat Tien National Park, southern Vietnam, is provided. We found a kukri snake having buried its head deeply into the abdomen of the toad and probably being in the process of eating organs. Subsequently, the toad was swallowed whole and the kukri snake moved away and disappeared with the toad’s hind feet still visible from its mouth. It is hypothesised that the behaviour of eviscerating or piercing anurans to eat their organs has been developed in the O. cyclurus species group or clade. This has now been observed in three species.
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Bringsøe H, Suthanthangjai M, Suthanthangjai W, Lodder J, Komanasin N. Gruesome twosome kukri rippers: Oligodon formosanus (Günther, 1872) and O. fasciolatus (Günther, 1864) eat Kaloula pulchra Gray, 1831 either by eviscerating or swallowing whole. HERPETOZOA 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.34.e62688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation on adult microhylid frogs Kaloula pulchra by two closely-related colubrid snakes is described, based on two observations of Oligodon formosanus in Hong Kong and one observation of O. fasciolatus in Thailand. In two instances, O. formosanus was observed cutting open the abdomen of this anuran species. In one case, it performed repeated rotations about its own longitudinal body axis (“death roll”) while its head was inserted into the frog’s abdomen. The purpose of this behaviour was probably to tear off organs and swallow them. Once O. fasciolatus was observed catching and swallowing K. pulchra whole. In that case, the snake also made a series of rotations while it maintained its firm grip in the frog’s belly. It is concluded that, for these two closely-related kukri snakes, prey size is crucial for determining whether the gape width allows large preys to be swallowed entire.
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