Pellet egestion in modern carnivorous snakes

• 来源期刊: 动物学报（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2020,（5）
• 所属期刊栏目: Letters to the Editor
• 页码范围: 593-595
• 页数: 3页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa009

摘要

Food resources vary in terms of digestibility and constraints in food processing are an essential factor driving the evolution of adapta-tions to cope with them,for example,a complex morphology of gastric tract,symbiosis with microorganisms,enzymatic specializa-tion(McNab 2002).Pellet egestion is another important adaptation that enables to remove indigestible food particles and is observed in several vertebrate taxa.Pellets are most commonly reported in sau-ropsids,particularly birds,but published records indicate pellet for-mation also in the 2nd groups of sauropsids,that is,nonavian reptiles,including lizards and snakes(Myhrvold 2012).