Mangshan pitviper, Protobothrops mangshanensis （formerly Zhaoermia mangshanensis） is endemic to China. Unfortunately, due to the decreasing size of its wild populations, this snake has been listed as critically enda...Mangshan pitviper, Protobothrops mangshanensis （formerly Zhaoermia mangshanensis） is endemic to China. Unfortunately, due to the decreasing size of its wild populations, this snake has been listed as critically endangered. Re- search carried out on the Mangshan pitviper＇s population ecology and captive reproduction has revealed that the unique head patch patterns of different individuals may potentially be used as a noninvasive recognition biometric character. We collected head patch pattern images of 40 individuals of P. mangshanensis between 1994 and 2011. By comparing each pitviper＇s head patch pattern, we found that the head patch pattern of individual snakes was different and unique. Additionally, we observed and recorded the head patch pattern characters of four adults and five juveniles before and af- ter ecdysis. Our findings confirmed that head patch patterns of Mangshan pitvipers are unique and stable, remaining un- changed after ecdysis. Thus, individuals can be quickly identified by examining the head patch pattern within a specific recognition area on the head. This method may be useful for noninvasive individual recognition in many other species that display color patch pattern variations, especially in studies of endangered species where the use of invasive marking techniques is undesirable.展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31071946)the Wild Animal Conservation Fund of the State Forestry Administration of China (2011)the Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Hunan, China (No. 09JJ3030)
文摘Mangshan pitviper, Protobothrops mangshanensis （formerly Zhaoermia mangshanensis） is endemic to China. Unfortunately, due to the decreasing size of its wild populations, this snake has been listed as critically endangered. Re- search carried out on the Mangshan pitviper＇s population ecology and captive reproduction has revealed that the unique head patch patterns of different individuals may potentially be used as a noninvasive recognition biometric character. We collected head patch pattern images of 40 individuals of P. mangshanensis between 1994 and 2011. By comparing each pitviper＇s head patch pattern, we found that the head patch pattern of individual snakes was different and unique. Additionally, we observed and recorded the head patch pattern characters of four adults and five juveniles before and af- ter ecdysis. Our findings confirmed that head patch patterns of Mangshan pitvipers are unique and stable, remaining un- changed after ecdysis. Thus, individuals can be quickly identified by examining the head patch pattern within a specific recognition area on the head. This method may be useful for noninvasive individual recognition in many other species that display color patch pattern variations, especially in studies of endangered species where the use of invasive marking techniques is undesirable.
