DUGITE (PSEUDONAJA AFFINIS)

Diet ACROSS SPACE AND TIME

With thanks to

A.K. Wolfe1, P.W. Bateman1, P.A. Fleming2

1Department

of Environment & Agriculture, Curtin University

2School of Veterinary & Life Sciences, Murdoch University

The dugite is the most common snake in Perth, Western Australia,

despite rapid urban expansion. We dissected 568 specimens as
road-kill and from the WA Museum to explore if there are differences
in dugite diet between urban and ex-urban areas.

Does dugite diet experience Ontogenetic shift?

Dugites SVL<33cm
(n=98) only took
reptile prey, and 70%
all of these were
found tail first in the
stomach

type of prey (n=158)

Number of snakes with prey

Mammals
Reptiles

80

60

40

20

10

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150

Snout-vent length (cm)

As they grew larger,

dugite prey included
rodents, and handling
switched to head first

60

Direction of prey (n=94)

Head first

Number of snakes with prey

100

Mixed

50

Tail first
40

30

20

10

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90 100 110 120 130 140 150

Snout-vent length (cm)

Has dugite diet changed over time?

Proportion of snake diet

100%

Stomach
contents
(n=510)
Empty

80%

Prey

60%

40%

20%

0%

1910-1960

1960-1979

1980-1999

2000-2015

The chances of
dugites having meals
over time has not
changed
A greater proportion
of dugites had
reptilian prey
between 1960-1999

yes
P=0.04; df=3; 2=8.52

100%

Proportion of snake diet

P=0.16; df=3; 2=5.15

80%

Reptiles

60%

40%

20%

0%

1910-1960

1960-1979
1980-1999
Year

2000-2015

Does dugite diet differ between urban/ex-urban spaces?

Proportion of snake diet

Snakes
Pygopodids

80%

Agamids
Geckos
Skinks

60%

Mammals

40%

20%

0%

Ex-urban dugites eat

a greater diversity of
prey items

Ex-Urban

Urban

However, dugites
from both urban and
rural spaces were
found with the same
proportion of prey
items

70%
60%
Proportion of snakes

types of prey
items (n=293)

Snakes
with prey,
prey type
(n=140)
Mammals

Year

100%

Yes

Location of snakes
with prey (n=293)
Ex-Urban
Urban

NO

P=0.46; df=1; 2=0.54

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Mammal

Reptile

Diet differences for dugites exist ontogenetically and

historically, but there is

no difference due to urbanisation

Urban and ex-urban dugites are equally likely to find meals