Title
Chelydra serpentina (Common Snapping Turtle). Scavenging
Author(s)
Platt, Steven G.;Rainwater, Thomas R.
Published
2018
Publisher
Herpetological Review
Abstract
Scavenging (carrion foraging) is a key ecological process in the flow of energy through food webs, and can make important contributions to the diet (DeVault et al. 2003. Oikos 102:225–234; Bauer et al. 2005. Southwest. Nat. 50:466–471). Scavenging among non-avian vertebrates is probably more prevalent than is generally recognized because traditional dietary studies that rely on fecal and stomach contents analyses usually cannot distinguish between scavenging and predation (DeVault et al., op. cit.) except under unusual circumstances (e.g., Platt et al. 2010. Can. Field-Nat. 124:265–267; Platt and Rainwater 2011. J. Kansas Herpetol. 37:8–9). Given these inherent limitations, opportunistic field observations are crucial for understanding the role of scavenging as a trophic pathway (Walde et al. 2007. Southwest. Nat. 52:147–149; Logan and Montero 2009. Herpetol. Rev. 40:352). We here report an observation of scavenging by Chelydra serpentina in the Great Swamp, Putnam County, New York, USA. The Great Swamp encompasses 30,000 ha of floodplains, swamp forest, marsh, and fen in Putnam and Dutchess counties, and as such, is the largest freshwater wetland in New York (see Holt et al. 2006. Northeast. Nat. 13:353–374 and references therein for detailed description of the area).

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