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The snowy egret is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, aigrette, which is a diminutive of aigron, 'heron'. The species name thula is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, applied to this species in error by Chilean naturalist Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782.
Garter snake is a common name for generally harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus Thamnophis in the family Colubridae. Native to North and Central America, species in the genus Thamnophis can be found from the subarctic plains of Canada to Costa Rica.
The common garter snake is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent. There are several recognized subspecies. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a black, brown or green background, and their average total length is about 55 cm (22 in), with a maximum total length of about 137 cm (54 in). The average body mass is 150 g (5.3 oz). The common garter snake is the state reptile of Massachusetts.
The alligator snapping turtle is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is native to freshwater habitats in the United States. M. temminckii is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in the world. It is the largest freshwater species of turtle in North America. It is often associated with, but not closely related to, the common snapping turtle, which is in the genus Chelydra. The specific epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.
A forked tongue is a tongue split into two distinct tines at the tip; this is a feature common to many species of reptiles. Reptiles smell using the tip of their tongue, and a forked tongue allows them to sense from which direction a smell is coming. Sensing from both sides of the head and following trails based on chemical cues is called tropotaxis. It is unclear whether forked-tongued reptiles can actually follow trails or if this is just a hypothesis.
A wolf in sheep's clothing is an idiom of Biblical origin used to describe those playing a role contrary to their real character with whom contact is dangerous, particularly false teachers. Much later, the idiom has been applied by zoologists to varying kinds of predatory behaviour. A fable based on it has been falsely credited to Aesop and is now numbered 451 in the Perry Index. The confusion has arisen from the similarity of the theme with fables of Aesop concerning wolves that are mistakenly trusted by shepherds; the moral drawn from these is that one's basic nature eventually shows through the disguise.
The banded water snake or southern water snake is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snakes endemic to the Midwest and Southeastern United States.
Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey via stealth, luring or by strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey using sheer speed or endurance, ambush predators avoid fatigue by staying in concealment, waiting patiently for the prey to get near, before launching a sudden overwhelming attack that quickly incapacitates and captures the prey.
Aggressive mimicry is a form of mimicry in which predators, parasites, or parasitoids share similar signals, using a harmless model, allowing them to avoid being correctly identified by their prey or host. Zoologists have repeatedly compared this strategy to a wolf in sheep's clothing. In its broadest sense, aggressive mimicry could include various types of exploitation, as when an orchid exploits a male insect by mimicking a sexually receptive female, but will here be restricted to forms of exploitation involving feeding. For example, indigenous Australians who dress up as and imitate kangaroos when hunting would not be considered aggressive mimics, nor would a human angler, though they are undoubtedly practising self-decoration camouflage. Treated separately is molecular mimicry, which shares some similarity; for instance a virus may mimic the molecular properties of its host, allowing it access to its cells. An alternative term, Peckhamian mimicry, has been suggested, but it is seldom used.
The western terrestrial garter snake is a western North American species of colubrid snake. At least five subspecies are recognized.
The aquatic garter snake is a species of colubrid snake. Three subspecies are currently recognized.
Nerodia floridana, commonly known as the Florida green watersnake, or eastern green watersnake, is a harmless North American species of water snakes in the family Colubridae.
Caudal luring is a form of aggressive mimicry characterized by the waving or wriggling of the predator's tail to attract prey. This movement attracts small animals who mistake the tail for a small worm or other small animal. When the animal approaches to prey on the worm-like tail, the predator will strike. This behavior has been recorded in snakes, sharks, and eels.
The common watersnake is a species of large, nonvenomous, common snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to North America. It is frequently mistaken for the venomous cottonmouth.
Deception in animals is the transmission of misinformation by one animal to another, of the same or different species, in a way that propagates beliefs that are not true.
In evolutionary biology, mimicry in vertebrates is mimicry by a vertebrate of some model, deceiving some other animal, the dupe. Mimicry differs from camouflage as it is meant to be seen, while animals use camouflage to remain hidden. Visual, olfactory, auditory, biochemical, and behavioral modalities of mimicry have been documented in vertebrates.
References
- ↑ East, Mitchell B.; Fillmore, Brian M.; Ligon, Day B. (2013). "Feeding Behavior of Captive-Reared Juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii)". Southeastern Naturalist. 12 (4): 692–702. doi:10.1656/058.012.0409. S2CID 86740062.
- ↑ Drummond, Hugh; Gordon, Elizabeth R. (2010). "Luring in the Neonate Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii): Description and Experimental Analysis". Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie. 50 (2): 136. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1979.tb01022.x.
- ↑ Welsh, Hartwell H. Jr.; Lind, Amy J. (2000). "Evidence of Lingual-Luring by an Aquatic Snake". Journal of Herpetology. 34 (1): 67–74. doi:10.2307/1565240. JSTOR 565240. S2CID 14920116.
- ↑ Welsh, Hartwell H.; Wheeler, Clara A.; Lind, Amy J. (2010). "Spatial Ecology of the Oregon Gartersnake, Thamnophis atratus hydrophilus, in a Free-Flowing Stream Environment" (PDF). Copeia. 2010: 75–85. doi:10.1643/CE-08-106. S2CID 13781715.
- ↑ Hansknecht, Kerry A. (2008). "Lingual luring by mangrove saltmarsh snakes (Nerodia clarkii compressicauda)". Journal of Herpetology. 42 (1): 9–15. doi:10.1670/06-016.1. S2CID 26662056.
- ↑ Master, Terry L. (1991). "Use of tongue-flicking behaviour by the snowy egret" (PDF). Journal of Field Ornithology. 62 (3): 399–402.
- ↑ Buckley, P.A.; Buckley, F.G. (1968). "Tongue-flicking by a feeding snowy-egret" (PDF). Auk. 85 (4): 678. doi:10.2307/4083375. JSTOR 4083375.
- ↑ Glaudas, X.; Alexander, G. J. (2017). "A lure at both ends: aggressive visual mimicry signals and prey-specific luring behaviour in an ambush-foraging snake". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 71 (1): 1–7. doi:10.1007/s00265-016-2244-6. S2CID 42792034.
