Atividade diária, uso do ambiente e benefícios do enriquecimento ambiental para Micrurus frontalis

Abstract

Micrurus frontalis is a specie from the coral-snakes group. Most of the snakes in this group have fossoral and cryptozoic habits, which makes it difficult to understand the biology of Micrurus species in nature. In this way, the maintenance of snakes in captivity, carried out in well-assembled and enriched enclosures, which can help the biology’s knowledge and the behavioral observation that are difficult to be detected in natural environment, including daily activity. In this work, through the monitoring of an individual of M.frontalis over 60 days, it was possible to characterize the daily activity and the environment use by the snake, and to conclude that M.frontalis presents diurnal activity, with greater activity in the hours of higher temperature during the colder periods, and in the hotter seasons, avoid exposure during the higher temperatures. The snake also mostly uses the lower stratum of the enclosure, but sporadically explores the upper stratum. This work also presents a study on the food and sensorial enrichment use, unprecedented in snakes. The different environmental enrichment techniques are used in order to favor the adaptation of the captive animal to the environment, reduce stress, promote well-being and stimulate natural behaviors typical of the species worked on. The snake's prey were packed in different materials placed at different points and strata of the enclosure, aiming to progressively difficult the access to the prey. The unprecedented results show that food enrichment can be successfully used in snakes, and brings benefits to the animal, including breaking routine, reducing stereotyped behaviors and reducing sedentary lifestyle, common in captive snakes.