Potential predation on the tiger rat snake Spilotes pullatus by the gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Abstract

Studies on diet allow understanding trophic relationships within biotic communities.  The gray fox is a solitary mammal with activity during daytime and nighttime hours.  It has an omnivorous diet, with flexible and opportunistic habits.  The tiger rat snake is a diurnal colubrid with a remarkable ability to move between tree branches.  The potential predation event was recorded in Komchén de los Pájaros, a locality in northern Yucatán.  We placed 8 camera traps from 23 December 2019 to 31 December 2021; 6 worked as separate stations and 2 as a dual station.  They were set to remain operational 24 hr a day.  On 4 December 2021, a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) was recorded at station 4.  The photo shows a moving fox carrying a tiger rat snake (Spilotes pullatus) in the snout.  Although there is no evidence of the fox actually feeding on the snake, this may have occurred.  Few reptile species have been recorded in the diet of U. cinereoargenteus.  To date, only the green iguana Iguana iguana and the Texas alligator lizard Gerrhonotus infernalis have been reported as prey.  No such records are currently available for S. pullatus.  Although we found no direct evidence that the gray fox actually consumed the snake, this is potentially the first record of a predator-prey interaction between these species.