Snakes garter

False or misleading signals appear to be infrequent. The case of female-mimics among garter snakes (so-called She-Males ) who broadcast compounds atypical of males, but not of females, is also dealt with in Chap. 7 on Behaviour . This type of deception cannot be considered the reptilian equivalent of the Machiavellian ploys of complex primate societies. 

A sequence of reptilian studies tracked down the likely signal for mating in Canadian Red-sided Garter snakes. Males respond to products on the female s skin surface, which turn out to be related both to insect cuticular lipids and to those of mammalian skin. These integumentary... 

Some part of this delivery may involve air-trailing alone and may enable Garter snakes to use TF for prey detection. Blocking a single VN duct resulted in a significant number selecting an air flow with prey odour content presented on the side of the functioning duct (Waters, 1993). 

Graves R.M., Halpem M. and Gillingham J.C. (1993). Effects of vomeronasal system deafferentation on home range use in a natural population of Eastern Garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis. Anim Behav 45, 307-311. 

Halpem M., Halpem J., Erichsen E. and Borghjid S. (1997). The role of nasal chemical senses in garter snake response to airborne odor cues from prey. J Comp Psychol 111, 251-260. 

Holtzman D.A. and Halpem M. (1990). Embryonic and neonatal development of the vomeronasal and olfactory systems in garter snakes. J Morphol 203, 123-140. 

Jiang X.C., Inouchi J., Wang D. and Halpem M. (1990). Purification and characterisation of a chemoattractant from earthworm electric-shock-induced secretion and vomeronasal system in Garter snakes. J Biol Chem 265, 8736-8744. 

Kubie J.L. and Halpem M. (1979). The chemical senses involved in Garter snake prey trailing. J Comp Physiol Psychol 93, 648-667. 

Liu J., Chen P., Wang D. and Halpem M. (1999). Signal transduction in the vomeronasal organ of garter snakes ligand-receptor binding mediated protein phosphorylation. Biochem Biophys Acta 1450, 320-330. 

Mason R.T. and Crews D. (1985). Female mimicry in Garter snakes. Nature 316, 59-60. 

Meredith M. and Burghardt G. (1978). Electrophysiological studies of the tongue and accessory olfactory bulb in garter snakes. Physiol Behav 21, 1001-1108. 

Taniguchi M., Wang D. and Halpem M. (1998). The characteristics of the electro-vomeronasogram its loss following vomeronasal axotomy in the garter snake. Chem Senses 23, 653-659. 

Terrick T.D., Mumme R.L. and Burghardt G.M. (1995). Aposematic coloration enchances chemosensory recognition of noxious prey in the garter snake Thamnophis radix. Anim Behav 49, 857-866. 

Wang R.T. and Halpem M. (1980a). Light and electron microscopic observations on normal structure of vomeronasal of Garter snakes. Morphol Jb 164, 47-68. 

Wattiez R., Remy C., Falmagne P. and Toubeau G. (1994). Characterization of a frog-derived proteinaceous chemoattractant eliciting prey attack by Checkered Garter Snakes (Thamnophis marcianus). J Chem Ecol 20, 1143-1146. 

We can distinguish heptachlor from among other types of OCPs it accumulates in slime and hydro-organisms (the accumulation coefficient may reach 1000 and higher), from where it enters other organisms. Thamnophis garter snakes died in North American territories contaminated with heptachlor study showed that those Thamnophis sauritus that died had a heptachlor concentration in their tissues reaching 18.5 mg/kg, while those that survived had no more than 7.9 mg/kg [6]. Heptachlor accumulates in the milk of cows that have eaten feed contaminated by heptachlor [15]. 

Chlordane residue data for amphibians and reptiles are extremely limited. Maximum concentrations of chlordane isomers did not exceed 70 pg/kg FW of oxychlordane in eggs of the American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, or 250 pg/kg FW in carcass of the common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis (Table 13.2). However, California newts, Tarichia torosa, taken near a lake treated with 10 pg/L technical chlordane had greatly elevated chlordane residues in liver and comparatively low concentrations in carcass, stomach, and stomach contents. After 14 days, livers contained about 34 mg/kg total chlordanes lipid weight — about 19% chlordanes, 9% nonachlors, and 6% chlor-denes (Albright et al. 1980). After 2.8 years, 98% of the total chlordanes was lost. 7ra .v-nonachlor was the most persistent component in newt liver, accounting for up to 55% of the total chlordanes in specimens collected 2.8 years after application (Table 13.2) (Albright et al. 1980). 

Northern water snake, Nerodia sipedon, Lake Michigan, 1978, chlordanes, all tissues, stomach contents Common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, Lake ND 30... 

Cross-dressing in Chemical Cues Exploring She-maleness in Newly-emerged Male Garter Snakes... 

Fig. 21.1 Proportion (mean SD) of male red-sided garter snakes displaying courtship behavior to small females and newly-emerged males...

Table 21.1 Quantitative and qualitative variation in expression of the methyl ketone profile among small female and newly emerged male red-sided garter snakes... 

Ford, N.B. (1981) Seasonality of pheromone trailing behavior in two species of garter snake, Thamnophis (Colubridae). Southwest. Nat. 26, 385-388. 

LeMaster, M.P. and Mason, R.T. (2001) Evidence for a female sex pheromone mediating male trailing behavior in the red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis. Chemoecology 11, 149-152. 

LeMaster, M.P and Mason, R.T. (2002) Variation in a female sexual attractiveness pheromone controls male mate choice in garter snakes. J. Chem. Ecol. 28, 1269-1285. 

Ross, P., Jr. and Crews, D. (1977) Influence of the seminal plug on mating behavior in the garter snake. Nature 267, 344-345. 

Shine, R., Harlow, P., LeMaster, M.P., Moore, I.T. and Mason, R.T. (2000a) The transvestite serpent Why do male garter snakes court (some) other males Anim. Behav. 59, 349-359. 

Shine, R., Olsson, M.M. and Mason, R.T. (2000b) Chastity belts in garter snakes the functional significance of mating plugs. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 70, 377-390. 

Patterns of Tongue-Flicking by Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) during Presentation of Chemicals under Varying Conditions... 

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