Northern Kentucky University
Observations on Habitat Selection and Spatial Use Patterns of the Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon platyrhinos.
Institution
Northern Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Richard Durtsche
Abstract
The eastern hognose snake, Heterodon platyrhinos, is a possible candidate for consideration of conservation. However, poor habitat selection and spatial use patterns are not well enough defined to allocate resources for a conservation plan. An important management tool for conservation has been the translocation of taxa from harsher areas to more suitable ones, though this has sometimes been unsuccessful. This study was conducted at Sam Houston State’s Center for Biological Field Studies (CBFS) in Walker County, Texas. One male resident and one translocated male H. platyrhinos were monitored for GPS coordinates, macrohabitat, and microhabitat use over 23 and 22 day, respectively. For each snake, 55 individual and random habitat observations were recorded. During the tracking period, the resident snake occupied an area of 2.05 ha and the translocated snake occupied 4.41 ha. Macrohabitat use for the resident snake was 74.5% pine woods and 25.5% deciduous forest while the translocated snake occupancy was 45.5% pine woods, 32.7% deciduous forest, 14.5% riparian habitat and 7.3% open grassland. Microhabitat use for the resident snake comprised mostly of leaf vegetation (38.2%), pine needles (24.9%), and stick debris (20.1%). The translocated snake used the microhabitats pine needles (35.6%), leaf litter (29.6%), and leaf vegetation (16.9%). The translocated H. platyrhinos appeared to be less selective overall of its microhabitat choice possibly suggesting that translocated snakes may poorly adapt to unfamiliar areas. This could result in higher mortality rates in translocated snakes as has been documented in other snake species.
Observations on Habitat Selection and Spatial Use Patterns of the Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon platyrhinos.
The eastern hognose snake, Heterodon platyrhinos, is a possible candidate for consideration of conservation. However, poor habitat selection and spatial use patterns are not well enough defined to allocate resources for a conservation plan. An important management tool for conservation has been the translocation of taxa from harsher areas to more suitable ones, though this has sometimes been unsuccessful. This study was conducted at Sam Houston State’s Center for Biological Field Studies (CBFS) in Walker County, Texas. One male resident and one translocated male H. platyrhinos were monitored for GPS coordinates, macrohabitat, and microhabitat use over 23 and 22 day, respectively. For each snake, 55 individual and random habitat observations were recorded. During the tracking period, the resident snake occupied an area of 2.05 ha and the translocated snake occupied 4.41 ha. Macrohabitat use for the resident snake was 74.5% pine woods and 25.5% deciduous forest while the translocated snake occupancy was 45.5% pine woods, 32.7% deciduous forest, 14.5% riparian habitat and 7.3% open grassland. Microhabitat use for the resident snake comprised mostly of leaf vegetation (38.2%), pine needles (24.9%), and stick debris (20.1%). The translocated snake used the microhabitats pine needles (35.6%), leaf litter (29.6%), and leaf vegetation (16.9%). The translocated H. platyrhinos appeared to be less selective overall of its microhabitat choice possibly suggesting that translocated snakes may poorly adapt to unfamiliar areas. This could result in higher mortality rates in translocated snakes as has been documented in other snake species.