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Lipid Reserves of the Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) at the Northern Edge of Its Range

1997; American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists; Volume: 1997; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/1447839

1938-5110

Charles R. Blem,

Avian ecology and behavior

Lipid reserves of the eastern cottonmouth (Agkisrodon piscivorus) at the northern edge of its range, near Hopewell, Virginia, were lowest in the spring and increased throughout the summer and early autumn. Most (91.7%) mature females (those larger than 619 mm SVL) were gravid or gave birth, supporting the contention that biennial reproduction in this species is an artifact of differential breeding rates among females of different sizes. Gravid females had lipid deposits significantly smaller than those of males and nongravid females during summer months when reserves were depleted during egg formation. Estimates of the energy requirement for hibernation indicate that some cottonmouths may have insufficient lipid reserves for survival over warm winters with mean hibernaculum temperatures > 6 C. Early spring lipid reserves remaining after hibernation decreased significantly with increased mean temperature of the previous winter. Mass of fat bodies was not an accurate measure of lipid reserve in this species because of significant amounts of lipid available from the rest of the body.