Reproduction probabilities and size distributions of the smooth snake Coronella austriaca in the Netherlands and Norway

What is it about?

This manuscript is about “Reproduction probabilities and size distributions of the Smooth snake Coronella austriaca in The Netherlands and Norway”._x000D_ _x000D_ Reproduction rates are key for understanding life history strategies, and for assessing a population’s chances of survival in e.g. fragmented landscapes. Proper estimates of reproductive activity are missing for the Smooth snake, so we applied multi-state mark-recapture analyses on data collected in Norway and The Netherlands. Our results show large differences in reproductive activity._x000D_ _x000D_ We discuss these differences in relation to the length of the growing season and the sizes and number of offspring of Smooth snakes in these countries._x000D_ _x000D_ We believe that our study is of general interest to readers of Amphibia-Reptilia as it not only quantifies a pivotal component of the life history of Smooth snakes, but also illustrates how the presented analysis techniques can be applied to quantify reproduction rates in illusive species._x000D_

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