Short communication

Diet of the semi‐aquatic snake, Afronatrix anoscopus (Colubridae) in southern Nigeria

Published in: African Journal of Herpetology
Volume 52 , issue 2 , 2003 , pages: 123–126

DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2003.9635489

Author(s): Luca Luiselli Centre of Environmental Studies “Demetra”, and F.I.Z.V., Italy , GodfreyC. Akani , , Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria , FrancescoM. Angelici Centre of Environmental Studies “Demetra”, and F.I.Z.V., , Edoardo Politano Centre of Environmental Studies “Demetra”, and F.I.Z.V., , Linda Ude Centre of Environmental Studies “Demetra”, and F.I.Z.V., , SundayM. Wariboko , , Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria

Keywords: Afronatrix anoscopus , Colubridae , diet , Nigeria

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Abstract

A total of 332 specimens (59 subadults, 131 males and 142 females) of the semiaquatic colubrid Afronatrix anoscopus were collected in southern Nigeria to study their dietary preferences. The adult male to female sex‐ratio (0.92) was not significantly different from equivalence, with female body length being greater than that of males. A total of 60.2 % of the subadults, 39% of the males, and 43.2% of the females had identifiable food items in their stomachs. The diet of all categories (subadults, males and females) consisted of amphibians and fish, with a predominance of anuran tadpoles and the frog Silurana tropicalis. Subadults took significantly more anuran tadpoles than adults of both sexes, but fewer fish than adults of both sexes.

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