专食性与广食性食蚯蚓蛇类在猎物处理行为上的差异

文献信息

中文摘要

背景： 捕食者通常根据取食策略分为两类：食性专一者和食性广食者。专食性捕食者表现出适应特定猎物类型的猎物处理行为。在蛇类中，食蚯蚓行为已多次独立演化，导致食蚯蚓物种中同时存在专食者和广食者。然而，关于食蚯蚓蛇类猎物处理行为的研究仍然有限。方法：我们通过喂食蚯蚓，比较了两种游蛇科蛇类的猎物处理行为：食蚯蚓专食者琉球绿蛇（Ptyas semicarinata）和广食者日本颈槽蛇（Hebius vibakari）。结果：Ptyas semicarinata以极小的下颌侧向运动吞食蚯蚓，其猎物处理时间显著短于H. vibakari。P. semicarinata的吞咽行为与典型的颌部行走部分不同，可能是对蚯蚓猎物的一种适应。蚯蚓的运动似乎促进了P. semicarinata的摄食。结论：未来采用CT成像和颅骨形态功能分析的研究可能有助于阐明这种快速吞咽行为的机制。

英文摘要

Predators are generally classified into 2 types based on feeding strategies: dietary specialists and generalists. Specialist predators exhibit prey-handling behaviors adapted to specific prey types. In snakes, earthworm-feeding has evolved independently multiple times, resulting in the presence of both specialists and generalists among earthworm-eating species. Nevertheless, studies on prey-handling behavior of earthworm-feeding snakes remain limited. We compared prey-handling behavior of 2 colubrid snakes, an earthworm-feeding specialist, the Ryukyu green snake (Ptyas semicarinata) and a generalist, the Japanese keelback snake (Hebius vibakari), by feeding them earthworms. Ptyas semicarinata swallowed earthworms with minimal lateral jaw movements and exhibited significantly shorter prey-handling time than H. vibakari. The swallowing behavior of P. semicarinata partially differed from typical jaw-walking and is likely an adaptation to earthworm prey. The movements of the earthworms appeared to facilitate ingestion in P. semicarinata. Future studies employing CT imaging and functional analyses of cranial morphology may help elucidate the mechanisms underlying this rapid swallowing behavior.