Going out tonight? When insular <em>Hierophis viridiflavus</em> breaks the Whip Snakes Rules

Abstract

Hierophis viridiflavus has a strong diurnal rhythm as demonstrated by many field studies. It belongs to the “Whip snakes” characterized by slender bodies, large eyes, high speed, saurophagy and diurnality. On Giraglia island (Corsica) the snakes do forage also nightly. This unexpected shift in the circadian rhythm might be related to a local adaptation to trophic requirements.