NECROPHAGY IN TWO SNAKE SPECIES OF THE GENUS Leptodeira (SQUAMATA: DIPSADIDAE)

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Abstract
Snakes of the genus Leptodeira are known to be predators with a wide variety of prey known in their diet. The predation observations reported here were made in the state of Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico. Our study reports the first record of L. splendida and L. septentrionalis consuming dead toads of the species Incilius mazatlanensis. In addition, we report the sighting of L. splendida feeding on a live toad of Rhinella horribilis. Therefore, this is the first report of necrophagy for both Leptodeira species. The possibilities of chemosensory signals for prey detection in these snakes and opportunistic predation when live prey is scarce are discussed.

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