Research On The Reproductive Characteristics And Snakelet Feeding Of Deinagkistrodon Acutus In Captive Condition

The wild resources of Deinagkistrodon acutus are increasingly exhausted by hunting because of the commercial interest. Therefore,it is very important to reinforce the wild resource protection, and develop artificial breeding and rational utilization.According to the principle of Ecology and Wildlife Management, This research studied the reproductive characteristics and snakelet's artificial breeding technology of D. acutus in captive condition from April2010to March2012. The main results are as follows:1,At pre-breeding period,the D.acutus mainly preyed on live small animals, predation rate respectively Mus musculus97.6%,live duckling65.6%,live baby chick42.9%,if dead animals,the housing D. acutus only preyed on mice(31.5%).2,All adult females laid a single clutch per breeding season and maintains a larger nest egg output, with mean egg number23.0±7.8(13～37)(n=23).Take the sum of both the postpartum mass and the clutch mass as the prenatal mass,it was found that the clutch size,the clutch mass and the egg mass were positively correlated with the Prenatal mass.And the clutch size, the clutch mass and the egg mass were not correlated with female size(SVL).The clutch size was not correlated with the egg mass.The egg width and the egg length were positively correlated with the egg mass. The analysis revealed that the female with prenatal mass between1000g and1200g had been produced a large clutch size output and with heavy egg mass.3,At the period of incubation, in semi-basement with temperature28～28.5℃and relative humidity90%,the hatchability is over95%with incubation period26days and sex ratio1/3.43(male/female).The body weight of snakelet is from8g to18g with mean weight14.88±2.31g and body full-length25.2±1.45cm.4,Frogs with the same size as Fejervarya limnocharis (weight1～3g),such as farmed Rana rugulosa,Pelophylax nigromaculata,Microhyla ornata and Polypedates leucomystax ect.,which can replace Fejervarya limnocharis the first food of snakelets.Dicroglossidae hoplobatrachus and icrohyla ornata continued jumping can significantly increase the snakelets predation rates,meanwhile,reduce the feeding room will be enhancing the snakelets predation interest, to promote the snake hunting the frogs.5,After comparing three kinds of rearing methods and observing snakelet's predation, the cage was designed as1.6m (L) X0.6m(B) X0.6m(H) and paved by cobblestone leaving no crack. There was no other nest for snakelets on cobblestone, so those little frogs have no hiding place.The temperature is26～28℃and humidity80%-85%.6,Form September15,2010to August30,2011,the contrast rearing of D. acutus, between local and allopatric place, was underway. The snakelets'body weight in the two places was made paired sample T-test (P<0.05).The result showed that the growth of snakelets between the two places had significant difference,the allopatric higher than the local. After one-year breeding, the survival rate also had great difference,88%in local and78%in allopatric.Besides,this study also found:D.acutus in the origin of semi-basement captive breeding,hatching snakelets transportation to remote tropical geographical breeding can improve the source of proliferation of D.acutus.In allusion to the current culture status of D.acutus combined with experience in snake-breeding, author raised the operational procedures on ecological culture of D.acutus in the natural prey of breeding rules,and provided a reference for the promotion of breeding D. acutus in different areas.