Pit vipers possess a sophisticated venom delivery system enabling them to efficiently disable prey. To avoid retaliatory countermeasures, pit vipers typically release envenomated prey which are then trailed and consumed after succumbing to venom effects. Successful retrieval of released prey should vary with venom resistance and trail ability of prey types. The effects of prey size and prey type (mice, lizards, and frogs) on foraging behavior and venom expenditure in a cohort of juvenile cottonmouths was examined. Venom expenditure did not vary significantly among prey sizes or prey types. However, lizard prey were held significantly more often than mice. The effect of snake body temperature on foraging response variables across a range of ecologically relevant temperatures (18°C-30°C) was also examined. Cottonmouths injected significantly less venom, and held prey significantly more often, at 18°C than at 25°C or 30°C. These results are consistent with a thermal constraint on envenomation performance at lower operant temperatures. Overall, these results suggest that cottonmouths modify foraging behavior to compensate for both venom resistance in ectothermic prey and decreased performance at lower temperatures.
","abstract_html":"<p>Pit vipers possess a sophisticated venom delivery system enabling them to efficiently disable prey. To avoid retaliatory countermeasures, pit vipers typically release envenomated prey which are then trailed and consumed after succumbing to venom effects. Successful retrieval of released prey should vary with venom resistance and trail ability of prey types. The effects of prey size and prey type (mice, lizards, and frogs) on foraging behavior and venom expenditure in a cohort of juvenile cottonmouths was examined. Venom expenditure did not vary significantly among prey sizes or prey types. However, lizard prey were held significantly more often than mice. The effect of snake body temperature on foraging response variables across a range of ecologically relevant temperatures (18°C-30°C) was also examined. Cottonmouths injected significantly less venom, and held prey significantly more often, at 18°C than at 25°C or 30°C. These results are consistent with a thermal constraint on envenomation performance at lower operant temperatures. Overall, these results suggest that cottonmouths modify foraging behavior to compensate for both venom resistance in ectothermic prey and decreased performance at lower temperatures.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Spivey, Kari Lynn"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Biology","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Brian Greene"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:14:59Z","subjects":["cottonmouths","Agkistrodon piscivorus","venom expelled","skinks","frogs","snake body temperature","Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":["© Kari Lynn Spivey"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/5","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Brian Greene"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Spivey, Kari Lynn"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Biology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["cottonmouths","Agkistrodon piscivorus","venom expelled","skinks","frogs","snake body temperature","Biology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© Kari Lynn Spivey"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/5"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Pit vipers possess a sophisticated venom delivery system enabling them to efficiently disable prey. To avoid retaliatory countermeasures, pit vipers typically release envenomated prey which are then trailed and consumed after succumbing to venom effects. Successful retrieval of released prey should vary with venom resistance and trail ability of prey types. The effects of prey size and prey type (mice, lizards, and frogs) on foraging behavior and venom expenditure in a cohort of juvenile cottonmouths was examined. Venom expenditure did not vary significantly among prey sizes or prey types. However, lizard prey were held significantly more often than mice. The effect of snake body temperature on foraging response variables across a range of ecologically relevant temperatures (18°C-30°C) was also examined. Cottonmouths injected significantly less venom, and held prey significantly more often, at 18°C than at 25°C or 30°C. These results are consistent with a thermal constraint on envenomation performance at lower operant temperatures. Overall, these results suggest that cottonmouths modify foraging behavior to compensate for both venom resistance in ectothermic prey and decreased performance at lower temperatures.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Venom Expelled by Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon Piscivorus) Across Different Prey Sizes, Prey Taxa, and Snake Body Temperatures"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Brian Greene"],"dc:creator":["Spivey, Kari Lynn"],"dc:description.abstract":["Pit vipers possess a sophisticated venom delivery system enabling them to efficiently disable prey. To avoid retaliatory countermeasures, pit vipers typically release envenomated prey which are then trailed and consumed after succumbing to venom effects. Successful retrieval of released prey should vary with venom resistance and trail ability of prey types. The effects of prey size and prey type (mice, lizards, and frogs) on foraging behavior and venom expenditure in a cohort of juvenile cottonmouths was examined. Venom expenditure did not vary significantly among prey sizes or prey types. However, lizard prey were held significantly more often than mice. The effect of snake body temperature on foraging response variables across a range of ecologically relevant temperatures (18°C-30°C) was also examined. Cottonmouths injected significantly less venom, and held prey significantly more often, at 18°C than at 25°C or 30°C. These results are consistent with a thermal constraint on envenomation performance at lower operant temperatures. Overall, these results suggest that cottonmouths modify foraging behavior to compensate for both venom resistance in ectothermic prey and decreased performance at lower temperatures.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/5"],"dc:rights":["© Kari Lynn Spivey"],"dc:subject":["cottonmouths","Agkistrodon piscivorus","venom expelled","skinks","frogs","snake body temperature","Biology"],"dc:title":["Venom Expelled by Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon Piscivorus) Across Different Prey Sizes, Prey Taxa, and Snake Body Temperatures"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Biology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:14:59Z"}