Hunting behavior and feeding ecology of Mojave Rattlesnakes (Crotalus scutulatus), Prairie Rattlesnakes (C. viridis), and their hybrids in southwestern New Mexico

Predators must contend with numerous challenges to successfully find and subjugate prey. Complex traits related to hunting are partially controlled by a large number of co-evolved genes which may be disrupted in hybrids. Accordingly, research on the feeding ecology of animals in hybrid zones has shown that hybrids sometimes exhibit transgressive or novel behaviors, yet for many taxa empirical studies of predation and diet across hybrid zones is lacking. We undertook the first such field study for a hybrid zone between two snake species, the Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) and Prairie Rattlesnake (C. viridis). Specifically, we leveraged established field methods to quantify hunting behaviors of animals, their prey communities, and diet of individuals across the hybrid zone in southwestern New Mexico, USA. We found that, even though hybrids had significantly lower body condition indices than snakes from either parental lineage, hybrids were generally similar to non-hybrids in hun..., , , # Hunting behavior and feeding ecology of Mojave Rattlesnakes (Crotalus scutulatus), Prairie Rattlesnakes (C. viridis), and their hybrids in southwestern New Mexico

This dataset includes final VCF alignment file used for hybrid index analysis, Scaled Mass Index (SMI), hunting behavior, hunting frequency, prey encounter types and rates, toad and lizard presence/absence, and small mammal trapping data used in order to quantify the hunting behaviors and diet of snakes dispersed across a hybrid zone between Mojave (Crotalus scutulatus) and Prairie (C. viridis) Rattlesnakes. The VCF alignment data were collected via raw sequence reads from DNA extractions from blood stored in lysis buffer. SMI was calculated from mass and snout\*vent length measurements performed on the snakes. The hunting behavior and frequency, and prey encounters were collected via a combination of field telemetry and videography. Toad and lizard presence/absence data were collected via visual encounter surveys. Small ma...