Foraging Behavior of Chilabothrus inornatus Using Natural and Artificial Vines at Culebrones Cave in Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Abstract

Abstract Culebrones cave is well known among Puerto Rican herpetologists as a bat hunting ground used by the Puerto Rican boa (Chilabothrus inornatus). As such, their foraging ecology has been previously studied. However, multiple strong hurricanes have impacted the island reducing the number of natural vines around the cave directly affecting the population of snakes foraging at the cave entrance. We compared the foraging ecology between snakes using natural hunting structures and those using artificial perches provided in Culebrones cave. During March to July of 2021, we performed 30 visits to observe successful hunts and the prey handling time of every individual snake. Observations were repeated during the same period of the following year after the addition of artificial vines. The addition of artificial vines to the entrance of Culebrones cave had a positive effect on the snakes that visited the cave to hunt, observing an increase of three snakes on average per night. Prey handling time was longer when snakes hunted on rock walls when compared to those on vines, suggesting an advantage of vines over rocks as hunting perches. Continued monitoring of the foraging ecology in Culebrones cave should be conducted to determine if the addition of more artificial vines can be beneficial to the snake population at this location.