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Duel or mating attempt?

PostPosted: Fri May 25, 2018 8:15 am
by Ruggero M.
https://youtu.be/3ERepARJ_oc

For me it's a mating attempt, and I've explained my thoughts in the comments (in italian). On the contrary, the author of the footage thinks it's a duel between two males.

Re: Duel or mating attempt?

PostPosted: Fri May 25, 2018 12:31 pm
by Mario Schweiger
I confirm, this is a mating try.
At combats, the two males never bite each other - as much/many I have seen until now.

Re: Duel or mating attempt?

PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 7:12 am
by Ruggero M.
Mario Schweiger wrote:I confirm, this is a mating try.
At combats, the two males never bite each other - as much/many I have seen until now.



Thanks Mario! I've witnessed both to courtships (with or without actual mating) and duels and the distinction between the two is not so immediate, especially if you are not an expert and especially if the female doesn't want to cooperate with the male.
The distinction that somebody makes "duels are violent, courtships are very quiet and peaceful" is not a true one in my opinion.
I think that mating attempts are characterised by 3 signs, and I've written this in my comments of the video.
1) The male bites the female (usually on the neck or the first half of the trunk) with the attempt to stop her
2) The male tries to put his vent against the vent of the female, in order to stimulate her and finally to mate: these movements are rather easy recognizable
3) The male rubs his "chin" over the back of the female, attracted by her pheromons

Re: Duel or mating attempt?

PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2018 9:17 pm
by Frédéric Seyffarth
+1 for mating attempt ;-)

Re: Duel or mating attempt?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 7:22 am
by Ilian Velikov
I'm not a specialist on the subject but it was immediately quite obvious that it was a mating attempt. A combat is something that two (or more) individuals take part in. In this case one individual was obviously passive, trying to escape. If it was a combat and one of them is escaping the combat would have been over. Unlike in humans in most animals if one gives up the fight is finished. So it is clear that it was a rather persistent male courting a female playing hard-to-get, as they usually do.

Re: Duel or mating attempt?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 12:58 pm
by Ruggero M.
I agree with you... but it's not so easy...

https://youtu.be/vZ3wVABNl7E

These are in fact the same snakes some instants before: if you see only this footage, it's very difficult to understand what you are observing...
P.s. The author published the link to this footage in his comments, in order to show that those were "two males"