Diet in the Amphisbaenian Bipes biporus
2003; The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles; Volume: 37; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1670/0022-1511(2003)037[0404
ISSN1937-2418
Autores Tópico(s)Animal Behavior and Reproduction
ResumoDietary habits of the amphisbaenian Bipes biporus from the Baja California peninsula were examined based on analysis of stomach contents of over 200 museum specimens. Ants and termites were the most common prey items as measured by frequency, but a wide variety of other invertebrate prey items were noted. Many prey items were soft-bodied, but some hard-bodied invertebrates were consumed, and tooth marks on these hard-bodied prey items indicate that B. biporus may bite its prey as a means of capture or ingestion. Prey items varied widely in size but were always smaller in diameter than the gape of the B. biporus individual that had consumed them. Bipes biporus fits the pattern of a generalist predator that exploits prey items found both under the soil and on the soil surface covered by objects such as fallen bark or debris.
Referência(s)