FOOD NICHE PARTITIONING BY WATER SNAKES (GENUS-NATRIX) AT A FRESH-WATER ENVIRONMENT IN CENTRAL ITALY

In central Italy, water snakes of the genus Natrix (N. natrix and N. tessellata) are among the most abundant reptile species. We studied the feeding habits and food niche partitioning by these water snakes at a sit, located about 25 km north of Rome. The two species partially partitioned the available food sources. N. tessellata showed the highest specificity, feeding particularly on fish and almost exclusively on aquatic prey. N. natrix, on the contrary, preyed especially on amphibians but also on fish and terrestrial vertebrates. The coexistence of these snakes is similar to that reported among North American water snakes of the family Colubridae.