Social behavior snakes

Gillingham, J.C. 1987. Social behavior. In Snakes Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, eds. R.A. Seigel, J.T. Collins S.S. Novak, pp. 184-209, Macmillan, New York. 

Formerly called simple phobia, specific phobia is a marked, excessive, or unreasonable and persistent fear of a specific object or situation (e g., snakes, heights, thunderstorms). Exposure to the phobic stimulus provokes immediate and intense anxiety that the individual recognizes as excessive or unreasonable. The degree of impairment frequently depends on whether the feared object or situation is commonly encountered or can be easily avoided. The diagnosis should only be made if avoidant behavior interferes with the person s normal routine, social activities, or relationships, or if there is marked distress about having the fear. Differential diagnosis may include the following ... 

Joy, J., and Crews, D., 1985, Social facilitation of courtship behavior in the red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis,... 

Although the database from experimental studies of pheromone trailing behavior in snakes is small, it is apparent from this review that such work is quite valuable in evaluating the role of olfaction in snake sociobiology. Trailing activity can be used as an easily quantified visual bioassay of chemosensory input relating to the various social responses of snakes. In addition, aspects of this activity may be useful in other disciplines of herpetology (i.e., evolution and taxonomy). 

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