Katelynn Haygood
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
UROP Fellowship: Community College Summer Fellowship Program
Schoolcraft College
Research Mentor(s): Talia Moore, PhD
Robotics Interfaces
Presentation Date: Monday, July 27, 2020 | Session 3 | Presenter: 7
Authors: Katelynn Haygood, Talia Y. Moore
Abstract
What kind of predators are most threatening to snakes? Because direct observations of predation on snakes are rare, snake response to various stimuli may reveal the types of predators they find most threatening. The Drymoluber sp. is a colubrid snake and can be found throughout tropical climates such as: Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, and Bolivia. This genus of snake is very active and demonstrates many different kinds of behaviors. They come in a variety of colors, sizes, and weights, which is very useful, because that means more data and variables to study. To understand how Drymoluber snakes respond to different types of predators, we collected snakes caught in their natural habitats, then recorded videos of snakes reacting to various stimuli in a field-based laboratory environment. Stimuli included a release from captured, visual looming stimulus with a cloth to simulate an avian predator, a vibratory stimulus to simulate the footsteps of large mammalian predators, and tactile stimulation with a snake hook to simulate direct contact with a predator. We analyzed the behaviors exhibited in these videos using Quicktime 7, logged the behaviors using a customized snake anti-predator behavior ethogram, and analyzed our data using custom scripts in R. Throughout several videos we have determined that the Drymoluber reacted most to touch from the snake hook, and that stimulus depends on which part of the body it’s located on. Tactile stimuli that evoked the greatest responses were those that made contact at the lateral head, and lateral body rather than dorsal head, body, and tail. Our examination of what location on the snake’s body is most sensitive to stimuli and how they react to those stimuli can provide insight into the types of predation strategies that are most threatening to the snakes. Having an understanding of why the Drymoluber reacts this way is important because we can learn about how it not only reacts to predators but how predators may interact with snakes.
Google Slide Presentation
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Research Disciplines
Engineering, Environmental Studies, Interdisciplinary, Natural Sciences, Life Sciences
