Succesful fall mating Vipera

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Succesful fall mating Vipera

Postby Jürgen Gebhart » Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:15 pm

Sometimes I read something about fall mating Vipera`s.
But I don`t find anything if these mating’s are successful or not.

From time to time I found young berus in June or July and I think that they are too small for last year Babies.
And I also found some young berus in September and I think they are too big that they are born in August but too small for last year babies.

Two years ago in June I found a female Berus in Tichino/Switzerland (1.300m) that was very thin, it looks healthy and not injured. I thought that she gave birth a few days ago, but of course I was not sure.

Today I found a female in my area, extreme thin, it looks very healthy (high active and very angry) and not injured.
If you found a female like this in August or September nobody have any doubts that she gave birth a few hours ago.

IMG_1268.jpg


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Maybe a successful end of summer mating is more common than we thought, what do you think?
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Re: Succesful fall mating Vipera

Postby Will Atkins » Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:24 pm

Hi Jurgen

this certainly looks like a recently post-partum female, but it could also perhaps be that she hibernated when gravid as a result of a normal spring mating. In the UK there are records of autumn mating in smooth snakes but none as far as I am aware for adders (unlike aspis in mainland Europe) but this doesn't mean it can't happen, of course..
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Re: Succesful fall mating Vipera

Postby Mario Schweiger » Mon Jun 02, 2014 1:42 pm

I think, autumn mating doesnt (or, at least very rare) occur in Vipera berus.
But in Vipera aspis.
So it looks like these females havent been ready for giving birth in autumn (mating to late in spring and bad and cold weather in autumn?).
It depends on spermatogenesis in different species.
In berus, ammodytes, ..... life sperms are ready in spring, while in aspis they are ready in autumn and stay alive until next spring.

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Re: Succesful fall mating Vipera

Postby Jürgen Gebhart » Sat Jun 07, 2014 3:27 pm

Oh yes of course, spermatogenesis - don`t had that in my mind, getting old!

Thank you!
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