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Posts by betty: |
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betty Member Joined: 28 Aug 2003 No. of posts: 3  View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 28 Aug 2003
Topic: Slow-worm behaviour
I have never experienced caniballism by slow-worms, despite keeping adults and juveniles in captivity for several years. More likey, the behaviour described is that typical of mating and courthship, when males grasp females around the head and throat. Females and occasionally males (mistaken identity?) often show the tell-tale mating "scars" on the throat throughout May and June. Very rarely, the "matee" can be injured or strangled, which is probably what happened to the smaller individual in this case. Dr. Renata Platenberg Reptile ecologist |
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betty Member Joined: 28 Aug 2003 No. of posts: 3 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 28 Aug 2003
Topic: Captive slow-worm
The report of the over 50 year old individual was published in Deryk Frazer's Reptiles and Amphibians in Britain, New Naturalist series, 1983. I thought I found that published in the British Herp Journal, but can't find the reference. Dr. Renata Platenberg Reptile ecologist |
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betty Member Joined: 28 Aug 2003 No. of posts: 3 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 28 Aug 2003
Topic: slow worm bith rates
Young females (SVL approx 120- 150 mm) often don't produce more than six to eight juveniles per clutch. Larger females, approaching 200mm SVL, and produce up to 26. The maximum I observed in three years of study was 19. Incidentally, neonates born on the new site seem to do better than any other age class of translocated slow-worms. This needs to be studied further, but in populations I translocated in Kent I found the translocated adults had disappeared within three years, but there was recruitment into the adult age class from these new babies. Therefore if a translocation is absolutely necessary, it should be preformed after mating and before praturition. and kiss the females goodbye. Dr. Renata Platenberg Reptile ecologist |
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