Seasonal food composition of a burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis Haas, 1950 from natural habitats of an arid Arabian desert

Abstract

The study was conducted to record seasonal variation in the diet composition of the burrowing asp, Atractaspis engaddensis. A total of 65 snake specimens (35 males and 30 females) were collected from Al-Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia. The captured individuals were weighed, measured and dissected to record the stomach content. The study showed that this carnivorous snake is nocturnal and feeds on rodents (75%), lizards 15% (Geckos and worm lizards), small snakes (7%) and unidentified materials (3%) independent of its sex. This finding is attributed to the intensive spread of rodents in the study area contributes in the preference of such type of food. With regard to the monthly and seasonal behavior of feeding, A. engaddensis was more active forager in terms of gut contents in May and November followed by June and September. The percentage of total amount of diet (g) in the stomach of A. engaddensis was highest in spring followed by autumn and summer. The activity of this snake was found to be decreased or ceased during winter months (December to February) owing to the decrease of temperature.

Keywords

• Atractaspis engaddensis
• Diet
• Seasonal
• Nocturnal
• Arid desert
• Saudi Arabia