Aggregation behavior and intraspecific interactions among ring-necked snakes

Abstract

Sociality, broadly defined as the property or tendency of a species to live in groups with conspecifics for at least part of their life cycle, has convergently evolved multiple times. While there has historically been a dearth of research on sociality in squamate reptiles, recent work has revealed complex social interactions in several species of squamate reptiles. Most research on sociality in squamate reptiles has focused on aggregations, which are the most obvious form of sociality. We studied natural aggregations, the impact of temperature on aggregation behavior, and intraspecific interactions in ring-necked snakes (Diadophis punctatus) from southwestern Virginia. We found that aggregations in ring-necked snakes were relatively common and tended to contain larger snakes and more gravid females compared to solitary animals. However, using a multi-year mark-recapture dataset, we did not find any evidence that membership in individual aggregations was stable from year to year. We also found only limited evidence that the presence of a thermal gradient impacts aggregation behavior and found that behavioral interactions in an experimental arena were limited to tongue-flicking and occasional physical contact. These findings provide insight into aggregations in ring-necked snakes and also highlight the challenges of studying behavior in small, semi-fossorial snakes.