Diet of the large water snake Hydrodynastes gigas (Colubridae) from northeast Argentina

LÓPEZ M.S. AND GIRAUDO A.R.

AMPHIBIA-REPTILIA

BRILL ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS

Lugar: Leiden; Año: 2004 vol. 25 p. 178 - 184

0173-5373

In this paper we study the eating habits and morphological characteristics of the snake Hydrodynastes gigas in northeastern Argentina. The species showed sexual dimorphism in scaling variables (ventral and subcaudal scales), although it did not show dimorphism in morphological variables. In the diet, no significant differences in the prey items found. It feeds on amphibians, snakes, fish, mammals and fish eggs. We give new food items that were not mentioned previously in the literature. Most of the preys were only species aquatic or semi-aquatic indicating that H. gigas foraging primarily in water and its surroundings. It is a generalist species because it feeds on a wide variety of vertebrates.