A squad of conservationists made a surprising find when out survey in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve , Mexico , as they walk in on a steamy scene unfolding between three banded snail - imbibe snakes . small is known about the spawn behavior ofTropidodipsas fasciata , constitute the discovery all the more exciting . The determination were published onResearchGate .
The squad of investigator were walking a transect when they came across two banded snail - sucking snakes , a male person and a female , entwined in a minuscule tree . The two had not yet begun copulation but it certainly looked as if Latinian language was on the cards . The male look to be smelling the female when a third snake was recognize slithering towards the fan through the leafage litter . This tardy entry to the party was perfume the air with its tongue , likely in search of females who emit chemical cue that amorous males can pick up on .
The third snake start his ascent and once in the tree array his body with the female person ’s , forcing the other male person further up the tree though his shadow remained in billet with the female person . The new arrival then intertwined his tail with the female ’s , and they began mating without so much as a cursory sniff to connote courtship prior to the main event . Typical .
“ As a field biologist , nothing give me more pleasure than those ephemeral import where you are able to honour organisms in their natural environment display interesting interaction or behaviours , ” said conscientious objector - source José António Barão - Nóbrega in a pressing release fromOperation Wallacea . “ As a whole , snakes are very elusive , and so being able to witness and depict such an interesting behavior in a coinage whose reproduction is still badly known was a privilege . ”
Banded snail - sucking snakes are find across portion of Mexico and are so diagnose for their love of quite literally wet-nurse down snails . They have an adapted jaw word structure that enables them to squeeze the snail ’s entire case in its mouth before suck out the inauspicious resident . They strike the unsuspecting mollusks using their long , delicate teeth and then draw in their lower jaw to absorb them out using suction .
