Hiral NaikUniversity of the Witwatersrand | wits · School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences
Hiral Naik
Master of Science
About
5
Publications
2,088
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29
Citations
Introduction
I am a PhD student with a primary interest in snake ecology, evolution and behaviour. My current work focuses on using assessing the behaviour and ecology of venomous snakes in relation to snakebite. I am also a conservationist working to mitigate human-snake conflict and use science based education tools to educate others about snakes.
Additional affiliations
March 2017 - May 2017
Colorado State University & CDS, Oxapampa, Peru
Position
- Research Assistant
Description
- Developing/modifying and following protocols for captivity breeding for toads of the genera Bufonidae and insect breeding as food items for the frogs. Monitoring data collection in the field under rainy conditions of the cloud forest of the Amazon.
January 2015 - January 2017
January 2015 - July 2017
Education
January 2015 - January 2017
Publications
Publications (5)
The Colubroidea includes all venomous and some nonvenomous snakes, many of which have extraordinary dental morphology and functional capabilities. It has been proposed that the ancestral condition of the Colubroidea is venomous with tubular fangs. The venom system includes the production of venomous secretions by labial glands in the mouth and usua...
For gape-limited predators like snakes that swallow their prey whole, large-bodied species with wide gapes should theoretically be able to consume a more diverse range of prey than smaller species with narrow gapes and, therefore, may have broader diets. However, in cases where large-bodied species exclude small prey, their diets may not necessaril...
Snakebite incidence at least partly depends on the biology of the snakes involved. However, studies of snake biology have been largely neglected in favour of anthropic factors, with the exception of taxonomy, which has been recognised for some decades to affect the design of antivenoms. Despite this, within-species venom variation and the unpredict...
Understanding some of the factors that have shaped the evolution of diet in the snake family Lamprophiidae. These factors include fang types, body size and lifestyle
