Snake traits database: a global individual level database on morphological traits of snakes

Motivation: Snakes, although belonging to the order Squamata, represent a highly distinctive and specialized lineage. They are an exceptionally diverse group, comprising over 4,000 species, and are important in ecosystems as predators. While existing databases about Squamata and reptiles include a wide range of functional traits for snakes, significant gap remains for continuous measurement traits. Functional trait variation occurs not only among species but also among individuals within species, and continuous measurement data are better suited to capture such intraspecific variation. To address this gap, we compiled the most comprehensive database of snake morphological traits to date. We compiled 17,843 morphological records for 3,554 snake species by extracting specimen data from taxonomic literature, covering 85% of currently described snake species. This database provides a valuable resource for studying functional diversity in snakes and can help inform conservation strategies and advance ecological and evolutionary theory.
Main types of variables contained: 12 traits of snakes.
Spatial location and grain: Global.
Major taxa and level of measurement: Snakes. Measurements are reported at individual level to account for intraspecific variations.
Software format: xlsx.