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Predation by a smooth snake Coronella austriaca of an aspic viper Vipera aspis in Spain

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44 Herpetological Bullen 163 (2023)
The smooth snake Coronella austriaca Lauren, 1768, is
a medium-sized colubrid snake with a total length rarely
up to 90 cm (Muratet, 2015). It is distributed across most
of Europe, from Portugal in the west to the Ural Mountains
in the east, and northwards to southern Scandinavia. It
reaches the Balkan, Iberian and Italian Peninsulas, and also
some Mediterranean islands (Speybroeck et al., 2016; Di
Nicola et al., 2020). The diet of the smooth snake consists
mainly of lacerd lizards, shrews, and small rodents, less
oen young snakes and slow-worms (Goddard, 1984;
Rugiero et al., 1995; Reading & Jofré, 2013; Kolanek et al.
2020; Kolanek & Bury, 2020). Snakes represent part of the
diet of C. austriaca (Rugiero et al., 1995; Reading & Jofré,
2013). Genus Vipera was previously documented in the
diet of this species (Rugiero et al., 1995; Luiselli et al., 1996;
Reading & Jofré, 2013; Groen, 2018). To the best of our
knowledge, ours is the rst direct observaon of predaon
by a smooth snake on Vipera aspis (L. 1758) in Spain and
beyond the borders of Italy (Rugiero et al., 1995; Di Nicola
et al., 2020).
The Herpetological Bulletin 163, 2023: 44–45
Predaon by a smooth snake Coronella austriaca of an aspic viper
Vipera aspis in Spain
ENEKO I. ESCALANTE1, PRZEMYSŁAW ZDUNEK2,3* & ALEKSANDRA KOLANEK3,4
1Calle el Álamo 3, 3°B, 09240 Briviesca, Spain
2Associaon du Refuge des Tortues, 2920 Route de Paulhac, 31660 Bessières, France
3NATRIX Herpetological Associaon, ul. Opolska 41/1, 52–010 Wrocław, Poland
4University of Wroclaw, Instute of Geography and Regional Development, Department of Geoinformacs and Cartography,
pl. Uniwersytecki 1, 50–137 Wrocław, Poland
*Corresponding author e-mail: zdunek.komodo@gmail.com
hps://doi.org/10.33256/hb163.4445
NATURAL HISTORY NOTE
Figure 1. Predaon by an adult smooth snake Coronella austriaca on a juvenile aspic viper Vipera aspis, yellow arrows indicate where the
smooth snake has grasped the aspic viper with its mouth
Herpetological Bullen 163 (2023) 45
Predaon by a smooth snake Coronella austriaca of an aspic viper Vipera aspis in Spain
On 13 June 2022, at 13:42 h about 30 kilometers east
of Burgos, Spain (42.36709° N, -3.317816° W, WGS 84),
while on the hiking circuit Presa de Alba, we saw an adult
smooth snake and a juvenile aspic viper close together. The
area around the observed scene was very humid due to the
nearby dam and the Embalse de Alba river owing alongside.
The surrounding environment was densely overgrown with
brush and low vegetaon, but the observaon took place on
a concrete road and we made a video recording of it (BHS
Video, 2023). It was a sunny warm day with a cloudless sky
and no wind. At the start of the observaon, it seemed as if
the snakes would ignore each other and go their own way, but
they did not (Fig. 1A). The smooth snake iniated an aack
by grabbing the aspic viper near its tail (Fig. 1B). In defence,
the viper bit its opponent a few mes (Fig. 1C), which caused
the smooth snake to wrap around the viper, iniang a
struggle (Fig. 1C&D). The aspic viper bit two more mes and
then gave up the defence. Connuing the constricon, the
smooth snake moved to grab the vicm by its head (Fig. 1E),
and then begun to swallow it whole (Fig. 1F).
The account of predaon presented here increases the
knowledge of the Spanish herpetofauna and adds details to
the known behaviour of C. austriaca preying upon V. aspis
already recorded in Italy (Rugiero et al., 1995; Di Nicola et al.,
2020). It is noteworthy that inially the viper tried to avoid
a confrontaon by moving its body back from the smooth
snake and only bit the smooth snake once it had been
aacked. It would appear that it did not perceive the other
snake as a predator unl it was aacked.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to give a special thanks to Miguel el de la Miel
for being a nature lover and being in the right place at the
right me and Mahieu Berroneau for helpful suggesons to
improve this manuscript.
REFERENCES
BHS Video (2023). Predaon by a smooth snake Coronella
austriaca of aspic viper Vipera aspis in Spain. Recorded
by Miguel el de la Miel. hps://youtu.be/d-HIXSG7l-E.
Di Nicola, M.R., Zecchin, L., D’Amico, M. & Faraone, F.P. (2020).
Ophiophagy in Coronella austriaca: rst case of predaon
on Hierophis viridiavus and rst direct observaons of
predaon on Vipera aspis. Herpetology Notes 13: 1107–
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Goddard, P. (1984). Morphology, growth, food habits and
populaon characteriscs of the Smooth snake Coronella
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Groen, J. (2018). It’s a snake-eat-snake world: Predaon on
an adder (Vipera berus) by a smooth snake (Coronella
austriaca) in a nature reserve in the north of the
Netherlands. Herpetology Notes 11: 729–731.
Kolanek, A. & Bury, S. (2020). Natural History Notes.
Coronella austriaca (Smooth Snake). Diet/Cannibalism.
Herpetological Review 51(3): 612.
Kolanek, A., Pastrykiewicz, M., Borawski, W. & Bury, S. (2020).
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Luiselli, L., Capula, M. & Shine, R. (1996). Reproducve
output, costs of reproducon, and ecology of the smooth
snake, Coronella austriaca, in the eastern Italian Alps.
Oecologia 106: 100–110.
Muratet, J. (2015). Idener les Reples de France
Métropolitaine. France: Edion Ecodiv, 530 pp.
Reading, C. & Jofré, G. (2013). Diet composion changes
correlated with body size in the smooth snake, Coronella
austriaca, inhabing lowland heath in southern England.
Amphibia-Replia 34: 463–470.
Rugiero, L., Capula, M., Filippi, E. & Luiselli, L. (1995). Food
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Speybroeck, J., Beukema, W., Bok, B. & Van Der Voort, J.
(2016). Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reples of Britain
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Accepted: 20 October 2022
Article
Full-text available
Zdunek, P., Meier, G., Deso, G. 2023. Attempted cannibalism by adult smooth snakes Coronella austriaca in France and Switzerland. The Herpetological Bulletin 166: 27-28.
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The diet of Smooth snakes (Coronella austriaca) inhabiting lowland heath in southern England was studied over a nine-year period (2004-2012) by analysing 226 faecal samples obtained from 19 females and 41 males of varying age/size from juveniles to sexually mature adults. The main prey species belonged to the families Lacertidae (48%), Soricidae (32%) and Muridae (13%) with the remaining 7% comprising Anguidae (6%), Colubridae (0.5%) and Bufonidae (0.5%). Small mammals were absent from the diet of the smallest snakes but were a major component in the diet of large snakes. Lacertids were a major component of the diet of juvenile snakes whilst they formed a progressively smaller part of the diet of adult snakes. The data demonstrates a shift in diet, with increasing snake size, from Lacertids to small mammals. The highest number of small mammals was found in the diet during the early part of the activity period (April-June) with females apparently preying mainly upon Lacertids in late summer (August-October). A detailed understanding of the diet of C. austriaca, and how it changes with increasing snake body size, may have implications for the conservation of the species in the UK. Management of heathland that damages the preferred habitat of small Lacertids, the main prey of the smallest juvenile snakes, is likely to have a negative impact on recruitment and, as a consequence, a negative impact on the survival of C. austriaca populations.
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A three year ecological study was made of the Smooth snake in the New Forest, Hampshire. The aim was to provide quantitative information on particular aspects of the Smooth snake's life‐history characteristics. On three study sites, snakes were captured by hand and individually marked. On capture, each snake was identified, sexed, measured, weighed and examined for the presence of food in its stomach and hind gut. In general, mature Smooth snakes showed sexual dimorphism in morphology and growth rates. This was thought to reflect the influence of body size on female reproduction. It was found that Smooth snakes preyed on both small mammals and lizards, suggesting that this species is an opportunist predator. Diet did not vary between study sites. The population sizes were estimated by direct enumeration and densities of one and two snakes per hectare were found. The sex ratios in each study site population were even, and the age structures suggested that both sexes exhibited similar mortality. Consideration was also given to the estimation of the total population size of Smooth snakes in Britain. Summary The morphology, growth, food habits and population characteristics of the Smooth snake Coronella austriaca Laurenti were studied in southern England. On capture, each snake was identified, sexed, measured, weighed and examined for the presence of food in its stomach and hind gut. In total, measurements of 22 sexually immature and 92 sexually mature snakes were collected. There was little evidence for sexual dimorphism among immature snakes, though males had relatively longer tails than females. Among mature snakes, females had longer snout‐vent lengths and shorter tails than males. The body weights of breeding females were heavier than those for both non‐breeding females and males. Regardless of age or sex, body weight was positively correlated with snout‐vent length. An analysis of 68 growth measurements revealed that, in common with other species of snake, immature specimens had higher growth rates than mature specimens. Growth within one year did not differ appreciably between males and females. Conversely, growth over more than one year was greatest for female snakes. These differences in morphology and growth were ascribed to the influence that body size has on reproductive success. Large females (i) produce large offspring, and (ii) may have an increased chance of courtship and mating. During non‐breeding years it is suggested that females offset the cost of reproduction through an allocation of energy reserves to bodily growth. Thus individuals may “choose” to grow rather than to breed in particular years. Hence, females in the resting phase of their reproductive cycles may exhibit high growth rates. The Smooth snakes preyed on lizards and small mammals. Nestling prey (young rodents and young shrews taken from underground nests) were the most important dietary items. It was suggested that the Smooth snake is less specialized in its choice of prey than has been previously reported. It was considered to be an opportunist predator, selecting prey according to its availability. Population size was estimated by direct enumeration, and densities of about one and two snakes per hectare were considered representative for this species in Britain. Attention was drawn to the influence that site factors and snake behaviour may have on these calculations. Few immature snakes were captured. It was unclear whether this reflected a higher mortality among these specimens, or whether it was more difficult to find them. The even sex ratio and stable age structure for males and females suggested that mortality was not dependent on the sex of the snakes. Adequate data are lacking for a more comprehensive examination of mortality to be made. An alternative method to the anecdotal estimation of the total population size of Smooth snakes in Britain has been suggested. I wish to record my thanks to Dr I. F. Spellerberg for the advice and support he gave throughout the course of this study. I would also like to thank the Forestry Commission and the Nature Conservancy Council for their permission to undertake this work. Financial support was provided by a University of Southampton Post‐graduate Scholarship. Miss E. C. Meredith and two anonymous referees provided useful comments on parts of this manuscript.
Predation by a smooth snake Coronella austriaca of aspic viper Vipera aspis in Spain. Recorded by Miguel el de la Miel
  • Bhs
  • Video
BHS Video (2023). Predation by a smooth snake Coronella austriaca of aspic viper Vipera aspis in Spain. Recorded by Miguel el de la Miel. https://youtu.be/d-HIXSG7l-E.
Identifier les Reptiles de France Métropolitaine. France: Edition Ecodiv
  • J Muratet
Muratet, J. (2015). Identifier les Reptiles de France Métropolitaine. France: Edition Ecodiv, 530 pp.