Foraging behaviour, habitat use and population size of the desert horned viper in the Negev desert

The desert horned viper occurs in the dunes of the northwestern Negev desert, Israel. We report on a 2 year study on the viper's behaviour and ecology in its natural habitat. We examined whether the vipers moved faster in a vegetation-dense microhabitat versus an open dune area and detected much slower movement in the former. We nevertheless detected no preference of the vipers for any of the dune areas. We suggest that the vipers trade-off the ease of movement on open areas with prey, which is probably more available in areas with denser vegetation. The activity was higher early in the season and the vipers were mostly active right after sunset, with a second smaller activity peak at sunrise, perhaps searching for burrows to spend the day. Fitting this explanation, movement at the track's end was less directional than at its beginning. We found inter-sexual and between-year differences. For example, females were larger than males in the second year of the study but not in the first one and the population seemed to be smaller in the second year of the study than in its first year. The information we provide on this viper may assist its conservation, as sand dunes are threatened habitats in Israel.

Automated summary

This study investigated the behavior and ecology of the desert horned viper in the northwestern Negev desert, Israel. The vipers were found to move slower in vegetation-dense microhabitats compared to open dune areas. Their movement in open areas was likely influenced by the availability of prey. The vipers were more active early in the season, with peak activity right after sunset and a smaller peak at sunrise, possibly indicating a search for burrows to spend the day. Inter-sexual and between-year differences were also observed, such as variations in size and population size. The information provided in this study can contribute to the conservation of this viper species, as sand dunes are threatened habitats in Israel.