Ecology of an Insular Snake Assemblage in Coastal Maine

John D. Willson^1,*, Ethan J. Royal¹, Jacquelyn C. Guzy^1,2, Meredith C. Swartwout^1,3,4, and Chelsea S. Kross^1,5

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701. ²US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 3321 College Avenue, Davie, FL 33314. ³Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada. ⁴Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada. ⁵Stephen A. Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Havana, IL 62644. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Issue 1 (2024): 13–34

First published early online: 7 February 2024

Abstract
Wildlife populations at the peripheries of their distributions or on isolated islands often display divergent and poorly understood morphological or life-history characteristics compared to core populations. We used a capture–mark–recapture dataset collected over a 19-year period to characterize a northern, insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine. We captured 611 individual snakes of 4 species (Thamnophis sirtalis [Common Gartersnake; n = 221 individuals], Diadophis punctatus [Ring-necked Snake; n = 258 individuals], Storeria occipitomaculata [Red-bellied Snake; n = 81 individuals], and Opheodrys vernalis [Smooth Greensnake; n = 51 individuals]) and recorded 104 recaptures. We provide some of the first data on growth, reproduction, and movement for these species in northern New England, expanding our understanding of insular and northern snake populations. Specifically, we found that Common Gartersnakes fed primarily on earthworms and amphibians and grew rapidly, in accordance with mainland populations, but exhibited smaller size at maturity and average litter sizes. We captured an unusually large number of Ring-necked Snakes, which are uncommon elsewhere in Maine, and recorded an apparently localized nesting area for this species, as well as relatively long-distance (230–300 m) dispersal away from that location. In our population, female Ring-necked Snakes mature in their third year, and this species exhibits weak sexual size dimorphism (SSD). We found the ecology of Red-bellied Snakes at our study site to be similar to other populations, with individuals feeding on slugs, and females maturing in their second year; however, our population exhibited the strongest pattern of (female-biased) SSD. Smooth Greensnakes were restricted to the most extensive old-field habitat within our study site and fed on a variety of arthropods. We confirmed communal nesting and short incubation period for this species and provide among the first data on growth and longevity (at least 7 years) of this relatively understudied species.

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