A study into the ambush habits of venomous cottonmouths has earned two Savannah River Ecology Lab researchers a spot in Encyclopædia Britannica’s 2010 Book of the Year.
The study by SREL’s J.D. Willson and Christopher Winne, and Davidson College’s Evan Eskew, was included in the book’s Life Sciences section, which featured other new studies horse domestication, coral reef ages and ecological impact on reduced sheep size in a Scottish island.
The SREL study researched the changing foraging habits of cottonmouths from juvenile to adult. The study found that juveniles and adults engaged in varying strategies for finding prey. Juveniles utilized a “sit-and-wait” technique alongside wetlands, often opting for a tight coil position, and featuring the juvenile’s bright yellow tail as a lure to frogs and salamanders. Adults, meanwhile, were often outstretched and actively foraging for food near the wetlands.
The article reported that, “The findings underscored how developmental changes in coloration and the behaviors that affect the animal’s risk of becoming prey can influence foraging strategy and the choice of microhabitat within a predatory species.”
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