| effect of feeding on plasma uric acid levels in snakes. | the effect of feeding on plasma-uric acid concentrations of the snake was studied. the values were monitored in 2 gopher snakes and 2 black rat snakes which were fed mice. plasma uric acid values in snakes increased after eating and gradually returned to base line with the digestion of the mice. uric acid concentrations were greater in snakes eating 2 mice than in those eating only 1 mouse. the base-line plasma uric acid concentration in snakes was approximately 2 to 5 mg/dl. plasma uric acid co ... | 1978 | 697168 |
| transfer of hepatozoon rarefaciens (sambon and seligmann, 1907) from the indigo snake to a gopher snake by a mosquito vector. | | 1969 | 4389300 |
| blood ion concentrations as a function of developmental stage in the gopher snake, pituophis melanoleucus catenifer. | | 1969 | 5356616 |
| transmission studies with sarcocystis idahoensis of deer mice (peromyscus maniculatus) and gopher snakes (pituophis melanoleucus). | transmission studies with sarcocystis idahoensis of deer mice (peromyscus maniculatus) and gopher snakes (pituophis melanoleucus) were conducted to determine host specificity of various stages of the parasite. sporocysts were not passed by four dogs or four cats fed infected skeletal muscle from deer mice. seven white mice (mus musculus) and 34 white-footed mice (peromyscus leucopus) were negative for sarcocysts and liver meronts following oral inoculation with s. idahoensis sporocysts; however, ... | 1980 | 6776292 |
| reptile infection with anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis. | granulocytic anaplasmosis (ga) is a potentially fatal tick-borne rickettsial disease that occurs sporadically in the far western united states. we evaluated the prevalence of anaplasma phagocytophilum in multiple species of lizards and snakes from enzootic sites in northern california, described the infestation prevalence of its tick vector ixodes pacificus on reptiles, and conducted an experimental challenge of western fence lizards (sceloporus occidentalis) and pacific gopher snakes (pituophis ... | 2009 | 19281295 |
| parasites of prairie rattlesnakes (crotalus viridis viridis) and gopher snakes (pituophis melanoleucus sayi) from the eastern high plains of new mexico. | three prairie rattlesnakes (crotalus viridis viridis) and two gopher snakes (pituophis melanoleucus sayi) from the eastern high plains of new mexico (usa) were examined for parasites. one cestode (oochoristica osheroffi), and two nematode (kalicephalus inermis and physoloptera retusa) species were recovered from two infected rattlesnakes. one female gopher snake was infected with two nematode (k. inermis and rhabdias spp.) and one mite (entonyssus halli) species. | 1989 | 2716118 |
| ground squirrels use an infrared signal to deter rattlesnake predation. | the evolution of communicative signals involves a major hurdle; signals need to effectively stimulate the sensory systems of their targets. therefore, sensory specializations of target animals are important sources of selection on signal structure. here we report the discovery of an animal signal that uses a previously unknown communicative modality, infrared radiation or "radiant heat," which capitalizes on the infrared sensory capabilities of the signal's target. california ground squirrels (s ... | 2007 | 17704254 |
| coccidioidomycosis in a sonoran gopher snake, pituophis melanoleucus affinis. | coccidioides immitis was isolated from lesions in the lung of a sonoran gopher snake, pituophis melanoleucus affinis. a lactophenol cotton blue mount of a fungal colony grown on sabouraud's agar revealed coarse, branching, septate hyphae with alternating thick-walled arthroconidia. histologically, the lung lesions contained spherical, non-budding, double-walled spherules in various stages of maturity. some spherules contained endospores. spherules were also present in granulomas associated with ... | 1988 | 3418466 |
| a nonsurgical technique for stabilization of multiple spinal fractures in a gopher snake. | | 1977 | 586076 |
| biological half-life of gentamicin in gopher snakes. | | 1978 | 629442 |
| blood volume measurements in gopher snakes, using autologous 51cr-labeled red blood cells. | blood volume determinations were performed in 5 anesthetized gopher snakes (pituophis melanoleucus catenifer) by means of a 51cr-labeled red blood cell (rbc) method. the mean blood volume was 52.8 ml/kg of body weight (+/- 6.21 se). previous blood volume measurements have not been reported for this species. the rbc survival rate was estimated to be greater than 660 days. the rbc survival rate is long, but it cannot be determined accurately by this method. | 1978 | 629474 |
| the pathology of nephrotoxicity of gentamicin in snakes. a model for reptilian gout. | two gopher snakes (pitophis melanoleucus catenifer) each were given 5 mg/kg body weight gentamicin every 72 hours (group 1); two snakes each were given 5 mg/kg/day (group 2). doses for both groups were given over a 2-week period. after the second week, the dose for one snake in each group was increased to 50 mg/kg/day for 2 more weeks and then discontinued. weekly renal biopsies taken from snakes in group 1 showed no abnormalities by light microscopy during and at the completion of the experimen ... | 1979 | 462711 |
| xanthoma in a gopher snake. | | 1980 | 6900444 |
| fibrosing adenocarcinoma of the intestine of a gopher snake (pituophis melanoleucus). | histologic examination of a mass from the intestine of a gopher snake revealed a neoplastic process with an excessively exuberant fibrous component. | 1980 | 6251283 |
| physiologic and acid-base measures of gopher snakes during ketamine or halothane-nitrous oxide anesthesia. | arterial acid-base and selected physiologic measures of gopher snakes (pituophis melanoleucus catenifer) during ketamine or halothane-nitrous oxide anesthesia were compared with base-line values. during ketamine anesthesia, significant decreases in ph and hco-3 concentrations indicated acid-base states of uncompensated metabolic acidosis. in contrast, halothane-nitrous oxide anesthesia induced acidosis of respiratory origin, through a significant depression in respiratory rate. in addition to th ... | 1980 | 6778850 |
| malignant chromatophoroma in a gopher snake. | | 1981 | 7292897 |
| effects of ambient temperature on the half-life and dosage regimen of amikacin in the gopher snake. | eight gopher snakes were given amikacin (5 mg/kg of body weight im) and were housed at ambient temperatures of 25 c or 37 c. snakes housed at 37 c had a larger volume of distribution, and a more rapid body clearance of amikacin while the apparent half-life was not changed significantly. the minimum inhibitory concentrations of amikacin against isolated snake pathogens were determined at both temperatures. bacteria were twice as sensitive at 37 c than at 25 c. the data indicated that amikacin sho ... | 1985 | 4077623 |
| kinematics, muscular activity and propulsion in gopher snakes | previous studies have addressed the physical principles and muscular activity patterns underlying terrestrial lateral undulation in snakes, but not the mechanism by which muscular activity produces curvature and propulsion. in this study, we used synchronized electromyography and videography to examine the muscular basis and propulsive mechanism of terrestrial lateral undulation in gopher snakes pituophis melanoleucus affinis. specifically, we used patch electrodes to record from the semispinali ... | 1998 | 9732322 |
| testing an inference of function from structure: snake vertebrae do the twist. | the zygapophyses and zygosphene-zygantrum articulations of snake vertebrae are hypothesized to restrict or eliminate vertebral torsion. this hypothesis is apparently based solely on the inference of function from structure, despite the limitations of such inferences, as well as contradictory observations and measurements. in this study, i observed and measured axial torsion in gopher snakes, pituophis melanoleucus. to examine the structural basis of axial torsion, i measured the vertebral articu ... | 1999 | 10461132 |
| molecular systematics of new world gopher, bull, and pinesnakes (pituophis: colubridae), a transcontinental species complex. | pituophis melanoleucus (gopher, bull, and pinesnakes) is among the most widely distributed polytypic species complexes in north america, with most authors recognizing from a single transcontinental species (the melanoleucus complex, composed of 15 subspecies) to four (monotypic and polytypic) species. we used mitochondrial gene sequences from the two middle american species, p. deppei and p. lineaticollis, and from 13 subspecies from most of the range of the melanoleucus complex to test various ... | 2000 | 10631041 |
| comparison of ophthalmic measurements obtained via high-frequency ultrasound imaging in four species of snakes. | to measure the dimensions of the eyes of living snakes by use of high-frequency ultrasound imaging and correlate those measurements with age, length, and weight. animals-14 clinically normal snakes. | 2007 | 17916019 |
| morphological study of the oesophagus and stomach of the gopher snake pituophis catenifer. | the gastrointestinal tract of the snake has various distinctions from mammals, birds and other reptiles. five gopher snakes (pituophis catenifer) were studied in relation to the gross anatomical measurements of visceral organs relative to body length as well as the histology of the oesophagus and the stomach. the oesophagus closely resembles the empty stomach upon gross examination. a small palpable thickening was observed at the junction of the oesophagus with the stomach. in both the oesophagu ... | 2011 | 21752083 |
| conservation genetics of the eastern yellow-bellied racer (coluber constrictor flaviventris) and bullsnake (pituophis catenifer sayi): river valleys are critical features for snakes at northern range limits. | on the north american great plains, several snake species reach their northern range limit where they rely on sparsely distributed hibernacula located in major river valleys. independent colonization histories for the river valleys and barriers to gene flow caused by the lack of suitable habitat between them may have produced genetically differentiated snake populations. to test this hypothesis, we used 10 microsatellite loci to examine the population structure of two species of conservation con ... | 2017 | 29095863 |
| linking snake habitat use to nest predation risk in grassland birds: the dangers of shrub cover. | extremes in rangeland management, varying from too-frequent fire and intensive grazing to the suppression of both, threaten rangeland ecosystems worldwide. intensive fire and grazing denude and homogenize vegetation whereas their suppression increases woody cover. although habitat loss is implicated in grassland bird declines, degradation through intensive management or neglect also decreases breeding habitat and may reduce nesting success through increased rates of nest predation. snakes are im ... | 2010 | 20052494 |
| mutations to the cardiotonic steroid binding site of na(+)/k(+)-atpase are associated with high level of resistance to gamabufotalin in a natricine snake. | although toads are defended by bufadienolide toxins, some snakes have evolved resistance to bufadienolides and feed heavily on toads. we compared resistance in nerodia rhombifer, which possesses mutations that confer target-site resistance, to pituophis catenifer, which lacks those mutations. even at the highest dosage tested, nerodia showed no effects, whereas the lowest dose was lethal to pituophis. our results demonstrate a striking level of resistance to bufadienolides in a species possessin ... | 2016 | 26905927 |
| the mechanics of swallowing and the muscular control of diverse behaviours in gopher snakes. | snakes are excellent subjects for studying functional versatility and potential constraints because their movements are constrained to vertebral bending and twisting. in many snakes, swallowing is a kind of inside-out locomotion. during swallowing, vertebral bends push food from the jaws along a substantial length of the body to the stomach. in gopher snakes (pituophis melanoleucus) and king snakes (lampropeltis getula), swallowing often begins with lateral bending of the head and neck as the ja ... | 2000 | 10934002 |
| the cochlear nuclei of snakes. | the cochlear nuclei of three burrowing snakes (xenopeltis unicolor, cylindrophis rufus, and eryx johni) and three non-burrowing snakes (epicrates cenchris, natrix sipedon, and pituophis catenifer) were studied. the posterior branch of the statoacoustic nerve and its posterior ganglion were destroyed and the degenerated nerve fibers and terminals traced to primary cochlear nuclei in 13 specimens of pituophis catenifer. all these snake species possess three primary and one secondary cochlear nucle ... | 1980 | 7419751 |
| sarcocystis idahoensis sp. n. in deer mice peromyscus maniculatus (wagner) and gopher snakes pituophis melanoleucus (daudin). | | 1980 | 6768882 |
| scales drive detection, attention, and memory of snakes in wild vervet monkeys (chlorocebus pygerythrus). | predatory snakes are argued to have been largely responsible for the origin of primates via selection favoring expansion of the primate visual system, and even today snakes can be deadly to primates. neurobiological research is now beginning to reveal the mechanisms underlying the ability of primates (including humans) to detect snakes more rapidly than other stimuli. however, the visual cues allowing rapid detection of snakes, and the cognitive and ecological conditions contributing to faster d ... | 2017 | 27517268 |
| the effect of temperature on the oxygenation of gopher snake blood. | | 1971 | 4400096 |
| role of scale wettability on rain-harvesting behavior in a desert-dwelling rattlesnake. | during storms in the southwestern united states, several rattlesnake species have been observed drinking rain droplets collected on their dorsal scales. this process often includes coiling and flattening of the snake's body, presumably to enhance water collection. here, we explored this rain-harvesting behavior of the western diamond-backed rattlesnake (crotalus atrox) from the perspective of surface science. specifically, we compared surface wettability and texture, as well as droplet impact an ... | 2019 | 31867507 |
| carbon dioxide from the unsevered vagus nerve of the snake. | 1. the vagus nerve of the gopher-snake, drymarchon corais couperi (holbrook), discharges carbon dioxide at an average rate of 0.00234 mgm. of gas per gram of nerve per minute. the extremes were 0.0032 mgm. and 0.0017 mgm. 2. these rates were maintained as well when the nerve was separated from its central and its peripheral connections as when these connections were intact showing that the resting metabolism of nerve is a local operation and is not immediately dependent upon distant connections. ... | 1929 | 19872470 |
| a population model of the impact of a rodenticide containing strychnine on great basin gophersnakes (pituophis catenifer deserticola). | strychnine is a neurotoxin and an active ingredient in some rodenticides which are placed in burrows to suppress pocket gopher (thomomys talpoides) populations in range and crop land in western north america. the population level impact was modelled of the use of strychnine-based rodenticides on a non-target snake species, the great basin gophersnake (pituophis catenifer deserticola), which is a predator of pocket gopher and a species at risk in canada. using information on population density, d ... | 2016 | 27437984 |
| convergence in reduced body size, head size, and blood glucose in three island reptiles. | many oceanic islands harbor diverse species that differ markedly from their mainland relatives with respect to morphology, behavior, and physiology. a particularly common morphological change exhibited by a wide range of species on islands worldwide involves either a reduction in body size, termed island dwarfism, or an increase in body size, termed island gigantism. while numerous instances of dwarfism and gigantism have been well documented, documentation of other morphological changes on isla ... | 2018 | 29988440 |