Mineralized tissues and exercise physiology of snakes

Abstract

Previous studies indicate a tight correlation of predatory modes, morphology, and activity physiology in snakes. Active foragers like the coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) exhibit great stamina and high rates of aerobiosis and anaerobiosis during intense exercise. The western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), a sit-and-wait predator, is capable of bouts of intense activity for limited periods of time before exhaustion. During maximal activity the rattlesnake has moderate powers of anaerobiosis and limited powers of aerobiosis. Superior blood buffering capacity in the coachwhip seems at least partially responsible for its stamina. New evidence presented here indicates that low endurance in the rattlesnake may be associated with exercise-related bone dissolution, resulting in hypercalcemia. Such hypercalcemia may function to further debilitate the already poorly developed blood buffering capacity of the rattlesnake. © 1983 by the American Society of Zoologists.