Title
Chelydra serpentina (Common Snapping Turtle). Scavenging
Author(s)
Platt, Steven G.;Rainwater, Thomas R.
Published
2018
Publisher
Herpetological Review
Abstract
Scavenging (carrion foraging) is a key ecological process
in the flow of energy through food webs, and can make
important contributions to the diet (DeVault et al. 2003. Oikos
102:225–234; Bauer et al. 2005. Southwest. Nat. 50:466–471).
Scavenging among non-avian vertebrates is probably more
prevalent than is generally recognized because traditional dietary
studies that rely on fecal and stomach contents analyses
usually cannot distinguish between scavenging and predation
(DeVault et al., op. cit.) except under unusual circumstances
(e.g., Platt et al. 2010. Can. Field-Nat. 124:265–267; Platt and
Rainwater 2011. J. Kansas Herpetol. 37:8–9). Given these inherent
limitations, opportunistic field observations are crucial
for understanding the role of scavenging as a trophic pathway
(Walde et al. 2007. Southwest. Nat. 52:147–149; Logan and Montero
2009. Herpetol. Rev. 40:352). We here report an observation
of scavenging by Chelydra serpentina in the Great Swamp, Putnam
County, New York, USA. The Great Swamp encompasses
30,000 ha of floodplains, swamp forest, marsh, and fen in Putnam
and Dutchess counties, and as such, is the largest freshwater
wetland in New York (see Holt et al. 2006. Northeast. Nat.
13:353–374 and references therein for detailed description of
the area).
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