Evolution of aging: Theoretical and practical implications from rattlesnakes
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1996)15:33.3.CO;2-2 Many reptiles live relatively long lives wherein senescence is postponed to an advanced age. Altering nutrition, reproduction, temperature, and other physiological parameters may favorably contribute to increased life spans. But life spans are also evolved characteristics of populations, and the distinctive longevities also result from selective regimes arising within particular environments. Aging is […]
Aging in snakes: Results of long-term captivity on rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis oreganus) predatory behavior
Conservation, scientific study, rehabilitation, and public education concerning animals often require or take advantage of captive individuals. The long-term effects of captivity may affect the success and strategies used in such programs. For reptiles in particular, little is known about the effects of long-term captivity. We compared the predatory behavior of the same eight Northern […]
Scale variation in a laboratory colony of amelanistic diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430130202.abs Inbreeding for 6 generations has produced a strain of amelanistic western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) with extremely variable scalation. Forty-four siblings varying from virtually no body scalation to normal scalation have been produced in the latest generation. Two of the 3 most extreme “scaleless” snakes were stillborn; the third was maintained for > […]