Habitat Utilization, Diet and Movements of a Temperate Arboreal Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)

Certain niche characteristics were quantified for Opheodrys aestivus in a forest habitat surrounding a central Arkansas lake. Preferred microhabitat for this diurnal, arboreal, forest edge species was dense, highly-branched vegetation. There was no preference for plant taxon, but selection of perch height, perch diameter, perch angle and position on branch was restricted. Diel variation in some perch parameters was seen. Intraspecific class differences (sex, snout-vent length) were slight. More than 85% of the diet consisted of caterpillars, spiders, grasshoppers and crickets, and odonates. These prey were most abundant at the forest edge and were consumed by snakes in disproportion to the abundance of prey in the habitat. Distances between recaptures and size of activity range were markedly restricted compared to other snakes.