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Bat consumption by Philodryas viridissima (Serpentes: Colubridae) in the amazon basin of Southeastern Peru

Abstract:

The successful and nocturnal predation activity of P. viridissima on bats is reported. On 3 March 2016, at 19:57 h, an adult female of Philodryas viridissima, (snout-vent length 80.3 cm, head length 2.7 cm, tail length 25.1 cm) fell from the roof of the Refugio Amazonas Lodge, located in the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve at an elevation of 206 m a.s.l., Madre de Dios Department, Peru. The snake was holding a recently killed bat with the posterior portion of its body and had a bulge in its belly. The fall to the hard wooden floor may have caused internal damage to the snake. The insectivorous, medium-sized bats of the genus Molossus usually roost in house roofs or hollow trees. Some species of Molossus are crepuscular and have a short foraging time, spending less than one hour out of the roost. Hence, we suspect that P. viridissima attacked the bats while they were resting under the inn's roof.