Date of Graduation

Fall 2025

Degree

Master of Science in Biology

Department

Biology

Committee Chair

Brian Greene

Abstract

Within the last 15 ̶20 years, research on behavioral syndromes has seen a surge in prominence and popularity in behavioral ecology, revealing that many animals exhibit individually consistent behavioral tendencies. Behavioral syndromes occur when behavioral traits are correlated with one another within the same context or across different contexts. Despite new appreciation for the ecological, evolutionary, and conservation implications of behavioral syndrome data, the taxonomic breadth of studies is uneven. Snakes are underrepresented within squamate reptiles and, among venomous species, only two rattlesnakes (Crotalus) have been investigated for evidence of behavioral syndromes. My study investigates individuality and the presence of behavioral syndromes in a population of northern cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) across 4 behavioral axes (exploration, aggression, reactivity, and boldness). I used open field, feeding, predator response, and emergence experiments to record behaviors that represent each axis respectively for 14 lab-reared and one wild-caught individual. My results reveal consistency within individuals for behaviors related to all evaluated axes, but especially for measurements of exploration and predator responses. However, support for the presence of a behavioral syndrome was limited to weak evidence of a boldness/aggression syndrome. My results align with the findings of other studies in snakes finding only mild evidence to support presence of behavioral syndromes.

Keywords

animal personality, behavioral syndromes, cottonmouths, repeatability, pitvipers, snake behavior

Subject Categories

Animal Experimentation and Research | Zoology

Copyright

© Joshua Lowy

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