COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR of the QUEEN SNAKE Regina
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tion of the first 6 to 20 cm of the neck. It did PLASTIC BAGS IN THE COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR not involve any lateral sliding of the body but OF THE QUEEN SNAKE in other regards did appear to be similar to the INTESTINAL TRACTS writhe-bump seen by Gillingham in Elaphe Regina septemvittata (1979). Each bounce lasted 0.05 seconds and OF LEATHERBACK the bounce rate alternated between 60 to Studies of courtship and mating behavior MARINE TURTLES 70/min. up to 91 to 115/min. The slower rate of snakes have only recently been conducted involved higher dorsoventral movement (1 to carefully enough so that evolutionary aspects 2 cm off the female, Fig. 1). The faster rate While collecting skeletal material of Der- of this activity can be examined. In particular, occurred with oscillations in which the male mochelys coriacea at a site in coastal Peru Gillingham has used methods of frame by did not lose contact with the female's dorsum. where leatherback carcasses were discarded frame analysis of movie films to make com- After a variable period of this behavior, the by fishermen, I found evidence of plastic in parative studies of snake reproductive behav- males would begin the tail-search copulatory the intestinal tracts of these specimens to be ior (Gillingham, 1979). His work has been attempts. As the typical natricine caudal- common. Plastic bags and film were noted in primarily with species exhibiting what Davis cephalic waves were absent this suggests the 19 of 140 (13%) specimens examined in (1936) defined as "coluber" type courtship. vertical oscillations substitute for this repro- November 1980 near Pucusana, Depto. Lima, Several other authors have examined the ductive cue. Peru. The xeric climate of coastal Peru had reproductive patterns of the natricine snakes Male activity while mounted on the female's mummified many carcasses and slowed bio- (Blanchard and Blanchard, 1942; Pisani, 1976; trunk appears to show more evolutionary logical decomposition of tissues. Although Mushinsky, 1979), but species differences variability than do other stages of courtship. all specimens examined had been butchered have not been discussed. Regina is known to Gillingham (1979), for example, compared some considerable time before discovery be a quite distinct genus of natricine snake, the variation in caudal-cephalic waves and (perhaps more than 14 months earlier), the particularly in several behavioral characteris- writhe-bumps in Elaphe occurring during this intestines had been left in the carapaces and tics, i.e. feeding behavior. Its reproductive period. Regina septemvittata's different tac- had dried in situ. No attempt was made to behavior might therefore also exhibit varia- tile behavior also supports this idea. It, there- open or examine the entire digestive tract due tion from the typical pattern. This report is the fore, seems likely that these species differen- to the dried, rotted, and often incomplete first dealing with courtship activity of any ces in tactile activity of males while aligned nature of the viscera. Consequently, all cases member of Regina and examines the mating on the female have evolutionary implications. where plastic was noted involved sizable behavior of the Queen snake, Regina septem- The most logical explanation is that they con- pieces of plastic which protruded or were vittata. vey species specific identification designed exposed from the intestine. In all cases the Male and female Regina septemvittata were to bring about female passivity. Examination plastic was noted to be within the lumen of collected in the springs of 1978 and 1979 from of the tactile-alignment behavior of both the digestive tract and in a twisted, elongate southwestern Ohio. Within a few days of cap- closely related and evolutionarily distinct form suggesting peristalic transport. Because ture, these snakes were placed together in a species should give more insight into this of the limiting conditions under which obser- large aquarium (1.5m x 1/2m) containing a possibility. vations were made, the actual occurrence of gravel substrate. Courtship behavior of four plastic in Dermochelys is probably much males was observed and filmed with a super 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS higher than recorded. movie camera. The films were then analyzed Hays and Brown (1981) found plastic bags frame by frame for certain behavioral com- I thank George Pisani and James Gilling- in 9 of 39 (23%) specimens of Chelonia mydas ponents of courtship. ham for their comments on this manuscript. captured near Pisco, Depto. Ica, Peru. Coast- In most regards, male queen snakes showed al Peru is an area of low human population courtship behavior closely paralleling other LITERATURE CITED density. Consequently, the high incidence of natricines. The male approached and tongue plastic bags in the intestinal tracts of marine flicked the female repeatedly. The male Blanchard, F. N. and Blanchard, F. C. 1942. turtles is noteworthy. mounted the female and proceeded to move Mating of the garter snake, Thamnophis Brongersma (1969; 1972) recorded plastic forward until aligned on her dorsum. At this sirtalis sirtalis (Linnaeus). Papers, Michi- materials in the intestinal tracts of two leather- time the male queen snakes began a behavior gan Acad. Sci., Arts and Let., 27:215-234. backs from European waters. Carr (in Corne- different from other colubrids. They pro- Davis, D. D. 1936. Courtship and mating lius, 1975) attributed a mass mortality of Che- ceeded to "bounce" dorsoventrally on the behavior in snakes. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. lonia in Costa Rica to the ingestion of plastic female. This movement was a vertical oscilla- Zool. Series 20:257-290. bags. Pritchard (1971) mentioned that plastic Gillingham, J. C. 1979. Reproductive behav- is found in leatherback intestines. Carr and ior of the rat snakes of Eastern North Pritchard did not detail their observations. America, genus Elaphe. Copeia 1979(2): Mrosovsky (1981) recently reviewed data from 319-331. 16 leatherback turtles, 7 of which (44%) con- A Mushinsky, H. R. 1979. Mating behavior of the tained plastic. He also noted that 7 of 8 leather- common water snake, Nerodia sipedon backs studied in France by Duron and Duron sipedon (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae) (1980) had swallowed plastic. The informa- in Eastern Pennsylvania. J. Herp. 13(1): tion on plastic bags in Chelonia and Der- 127-129. mochelys in Peru is important in confirming Pisani, G. R. 1976. Comments of the court- the incidence in a specified number of animals. ship and mating mechanics of Thamno- Frazier (1980) noted that plastics are indigest- phis (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae). J. ible and they may impact the gut. The green B Herp. 10(2):139-142. turtles studied by Hays and Brown (in press) and the leatherbacks described herein were NEIL B. FORD butchered animals which presumably were Department of Biology captured alive. Therefore the plastics found had not yet caused death. Thus, the inci- The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, Texas 75701 dence of turtles dying because of plastics is • unknown. The possibility of death or malnu- trition resulting from plastic bag impaction of C the gut should be carefully considered and investigated in dead or distressed animals Figure 1. The sequence of movements in a from other sources. Marine turtles actively single "bounce" of a male queen snake, Regina feed on jellyfish, and plastic bags floating in septemvittata, courting a female. water potentially resemble jellyfish in color, 72 Herp Review 13(3), 1982 form, and texture. Therefore, it is possible the box is constructed from a single 4 X 8 ft that plastics are consumed whenever en- TECHNIQUES sheet of one half inch plywood and miscel- countered by foraging marine turtles. Since laneous hardware. The box incorporates a plastic film products are used and disposed light bulb heat source, ventilation holes, an of worldwide, the potential for effecting A TIME-EFFICIENT, escape barrier, and a hinged access lid with marine organisms, including turtles, is great. LOW COST METHOD an inspection window. The individual com- ponents and specifications required to con- LITERATURE CITED FOR THE LABORATORY struct the basic box are provided in Fig. 1. REARING OF FROGS. Brongersma, L. D. 1969. Miscellaneous notes Figure 1. on turtles. II A-B Proc. Kon. Ned. Akad. INTRODUCTION Wet., Amsterdam 72(1):76-102. Rearing procedure. — Crickets (Acheta 1972. European Atlantic turtles. Zoo- There has long been a need for a reliable domestica) thrive under the appropriate logische Verhandelingen (121):1-318. method whereby laboratory populations of temperature and humidity conditions when Cornelius, S. E. 1975. Marine turtle mortali- anurans could be both maintained and per- provided with adequate water and food. ties along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. petuated at modest cost and with minimal Commercial pelletized rabbit feeds provide Copeia 1975:186-187. time expenditure. The availability of reliable an excellent food source for crickets of all Duron, M. and P. Duron. 1980. Title unknown. methods for the raising and maintenance of ages. Alternatively, chicken mash can be Courrier de la Nature. 69:37-41. (Cited by anurans in a time-efficient operation and at used, but it is subject to mold. A 100 watt Mrosovsky 1981). modest cost is important to biologists in incandescent light bulb will maintain an inner Frazier, J. 1980. Marine turtles and problems many disciplines. However, small scale frog box temperature of about 32-40° C when the in coastal management. Pages 23495-2411 rearing operations are not common because box is placed in a room at 20-25° C. In a in: B. L. Edge (ed.) Proceedings of the of several fundamental problems. These cooler room, a bulb or higher wattage or mul- Second Symposium on Coastal and Ocean include: design inadequacies of many com- tiple bulbs can be used to bring the internal Management Vol. III. 17-20 November mercially available rearing tanks; lack of an box temperature to about 32-40° C.