Snake database: a species-level database of life history and ecology of snakes

Understanding biodiversity from a functional perspective is important for both evolutionary and ecological studies. Snakes, a unique and diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates with more than 4000 species, are an important part of ecosystems. However, information on the functional traits of snakes is scattered throughout an extensive primary literature. With the exception of a few traits like body size, most traits remain relatively inaccessible to researchers interested in studying the ecology and evolution of snakes on a large scale. In this study, we present a global species-level functional traits database for snakes. This database follows the most recently taxonomic scheme and covers 4040 species. We compiled this database based on 1289 scientific literature sources, including peer-reviewed papers, books, online databases, natural history records and field guides. We collected information on traits including body size, relative tail length, diel activity pattern, colour, habitats, reproductive mode, clutch size, diet, fangs and infrared sensing ability. Detailed information on these traits and the coding system for categorical traits can be found in the supporting materials. This database is the most comprehensive on snakes as far as we know. As our objective was to build a living dataset, we will update the database annually by adding new species and modified the data following the taxonomic changes. We hope that this database will facilitate macroecological and macroevolutionary studies of this interesting and important group.