The northward extension of reptiles in the Palearctic,with the Jordan Valley (Israel) as a model: snakes outrace lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) |
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Authors: | Boaz Shacham Roy Federman Shimrit Lahav-Ginott |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel;2. National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel |
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Abstract: | The geographical distribution of reptiles is known to be climate dependent. Our analysis of literature data from the Palearctic confirmed that snakes, as a group (186 species), tend to extend further to the north, into cooler climate, than lizards (460 species). This has also been reported for the Nearctic. On a smaller scale, as a model, we investigated the expansion of reptiles from the warm southern desert of Israel northwards along the Jordan valley into cooler climate, based on 587 locality records of 17 species. It transpired that the snakes significantly extend further to the north than the lizards, paralleling and exemplifying the global scale. The ability of snakes to inhabit relatively cooler climates appears to accord with three physiological traits of snakes: lower optimal body temperatures, absence of temperature-dependent sex determination, and ability to thrive on infrequent meals. |
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Keywords: | Climate ecological biogeography geographical distribution Levant Middle East Squamata |
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