In these snakes its normally the male being consumed, either by a male rival or by a female conspecific. In a research study note published in Ethology on October 15, scientists report that some male snakes flip this script, dining on females of the very same types– that is, possible mates.xavier glaudasThere have actually been just a couple of previous reports of cannibalism in this species, understood as Montpellier snakes (Malpolon monspessulanus). A male Montpellier snake holds an adult woman behind the head with his jaws, possibly to consume her.PHILIPPE BAILLEULTS: Can you explain the three various hypotheses noted in the paper for why these snakes engaged in this behavior?XG: One trend is that cannibalism usually occurs in species that in fact have a broad diet plan.
In these snakes its usually the male being taken in, either by a male rival or by a female conspecific. In a research note published in Ethology on October 15, researchers report that some male snakes turn this script, dining on females of the exact same species– that is, potential mates.xavier glaudasThere have actually been just a few previous reports of cannibalism in this species, understood as Montpellier snakes (Malpolon monspessulanus). The brand-new finding grew out of a French neighborhood database of animal observations in which users documented 3 instances of male Montpellier snakes cannibalizing adult female conspecifics in the south of France outside of their breeding season. For him it would pay off to in fact attempt to mate with every single female he came across … But just recently, in the last few years, the paradigm has actually been shifting, if you will, simply because we recognize that males– they can likewise be picky in some methods about the women they mate with.At initially you think it is counterproductive. A male Montpellier snake holds an adult woman behind the head with his jaws, possibly to eat her.PHILIPPE BAILLEULTS: Can you explain the 3 various hypotheses noted in the paper for why these snakes engaged in this behavior?XG: One pattern is that cannibalism normally occurs in species that actually have a broad diet.