Predation by the Opossum Didelphis marsupialis on the Rattlesnake Crotalus durissus

Current Herpetology

Volumn 19, Issue 1, 2000, Pages 1-9

  Almeida Santos, Selma Maria ^a   Jared, Carlos ^a   Antoniazzp, Marta Maria ^a   Sant'Anna, Osvaldo Augusto ^a  

^a INSTITUTO BUTANTAN   (Brazil)

Author keywords

Behavior; Crotalus; Didelphis; Marsupialia; Venom

Indexed keywords

EID: 84996563723     PISSN: 13455834     EISSN: 18811019     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.5358/hsj.19.1     Document Type: Article

References (31)

1. Alcock, J. 1993. Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts. 625 p.
2. Brodie, E. D. III. 1993. Differential avoidance of coral snake banded patterns by free-ranging avian predators in Costa Rica. Evolution 47: 227-235.
3. Campbell, J. A. and W. W. Lamar. 1989. The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America. Corn-stock Publishing Associates. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, New York. 425 p.
4. Cerqueira, R. 1985. The distribution of Didelphis in South America (Polyprotodontia, Didelphidae). J. Biogeogr. 12: 135-145.
5. Cloudsley-Thompson, J. L. 1994. Predation and Defense among Reptiles. R & A Publishing, Somerset, England. 138 p.
6. Cordero, G. A. R. and R. A. B. Nicolas. 1986. Feeding habits of the opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) in northern Venezuela. Field. Zool. 39: 125-131.
7. Domont, G. B., J. Perales, and H. Moussatche. 1991. Natural anti-snake venom proteins. Toxicon 29: 1183-1194.
8. Duvall, D., M. B. King, and K. J. Gut-Zwiller. 1985. Behavioral ecology and ethology of the prairie rattlesnake. Natl. Geogr. Res. 1: 80-111.
9. Emmons, L. H. 1990. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A field Guide. The University of Chicago, Chicago. 281 p.
10. Fitch, H. S. 1960. Autoecology of the copperhead. Univ. Kansas. Pub. Mus. Nat. Hist. 13: 85-288.
11. Greene, H. W. 1973. Defensive tail display by snakes and amphisbaenians. J. Herpetol. 7: 143-161.
12. Greene, H. W. 1988. Antipredator mechanisms in reptiles, p. 1-152. In: C. Gans and R. B. Huey (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia, Vol. 16, Defense and Life History. Allan R. Liss, New York.
13. Greene, H. W., G. M. Burghardt, B. A. Du-gan, and A. S. Rand. 1978. Predation and the defensive behavior of green iguanas (Reptilia, Lacertilia, Iguanidae). J. Herpetol. 12 (2): 169-176.
14. Herzog, H. A. Jr. and G. M. Burghardt. 1974. Prey movement and predatory behavior of juvenile western yellow-bellied racers, Coluber constrictor mormon. Herpetologica 30: 285-289.
15. Herzog, H. A. Jr. and H. Drummond. 1984. Tail autotomy inhibits tonic immobility in geckos. Copeia 1984 (3): 763-764.
16. Ivanco, T. L., S. M. Pellis, and I. Q. Whishaw. 1996. Skilled forelimb movements in prey catching and in reaching by rats (Rattus norvegicus) and opossums (Monodelphis domestica): relations to anatomical differences in motor systems. Behav. Brain Res. 79: 163-181.
17. Jackson, J. F. 1979. Effects of some ophidian tail displays on the predatory behavior of grison (Galictis sp.). Copeia 1979 (1): 169-172.
18. Jared, C, M. M. Antoniazzi, and S. M. Almeida-Santos. 1998. Predation of snakes by the young of opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) in captivity. The Snake 28: 68-70.
19. Kaufmann, J. H. and A. Kaufmann. 1965. Observations of the behavior of tayras and grisons. Z. Säugetierkunde 30: 146-155.
20. Moussatché, H., A. Yates, F. Leonardi, and L. Borche. 1979. Mechanisms of resistance of the opossum to some snake venoms. Toxicon 17: 130.
21. Moussatché, H., J. Perales, A. G. C. N. Ferreira, S. L. G. rocha, C. G. VlLLELA, and G. B. Domont. 1990. Resistência de marsupials brasileiros aos venenos de Bothrops jararaca e Crotralus durissus terrificus. Proc. Vth Ann. Meet. Fed. Soc. Exp. Biol., MG, Brazil, p. 397.
22. Neves-Ferreira, A. G., J. Perales, M. Ova-dia, H. Moussatché, and G. B. Domont. 1997. Inhibitory properties of the antibothropic complex from the South American opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) serum. Toxicon 35: 849-863.
23. Perales, J., H. Moussatché, S. Marangoni, B. Oliveira, and G. B. Domont. 1994. Isolation and partial characterization of an anti-bothropic complex from serum of South American Didelphidae. Toxicon 32: 1237-1249.
24. Perez, J. C., H. C. Haws, V. E. Garcia, and B. M. Jennings, III. 1978. Resistance of warm-blooded animals to snake venoms. Toxicon 16: 375-383.
25. Perez, J. C., S. Pichyangkul, and V. E. Garcia. 1979. The resistance of three species of warm-blooded animals to western diamond-back rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) venom. Toxicon 17: 601-607.
26. Ribeiro, L. 1940. Medicina no Brasil. Imprensa Nacional, Rio de Janeiro. 409 p.
27. Sazima, I. 1992. Natural history of the jararaca pitviper, B. jararaca in Souheastern Brazil, p. 199-216. In: J. A. Campbell and E. D. Brodie, Jr. (eds.), Biology of the Pitvipers. Selva Publ., Tyler, Texas.
28. Silva, M. Jr. 1956. O Ofidismo no Brasil. Ministério da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro. 346 p.
29. Vellard, J. 1945. Resistencia de los "Didel-phis" (Zarigueya) a los venenos ofidicos. Rev. Bras. Biol. 5: 463-467.
30. Weldon, P. J., R. Ortiz, and T. R. Sharp. 1992. The Chemical Ecology of Crotalinae Snakes, p. 309-319. In: J. A. Campbell and E. D. Brodie, Jr. (eds.), Biology of the Pit-vipers. Selva Publ., Tyler, Texas.
31. Werner, R. M. and J. A. Vick. 1977. Resistance of the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) to envenomation by snakes of the family Crotalidae. Toxicon 15: 29-33.