Defensive Caudal Display in Uropeltis pulneyensis Beddome 1863 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from Palani Hills, Western Ghats, India

Gnanaselvan Melvinselvan, Das Nibedita

Abstract


Defensive caudal display in Uropeltis pulneyensis is reported here for the first time. This behavior involved two strategies i) using the tail as «decoy», i.e., diverting the predator’s attention from the head, and ii) tail display as an aposematic signal.

Keywords


defensive behavior; Uropeltis pulneyensis; Western Ghats; India

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2016-23-1-77-80

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