Habitat use of the Aesculapian Snake, Zamenis longissimus, at the northern extreme of its range in northwest Bohemia.

Habitat use of the Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) at the northern extreme of its range in northwest Bohemia was studied in two areas with different proportions of man-made structures and urban features. Six snakes were equipped with internal transmitters (giving 171 radio locations in total). Compositional analysis at the homerange scale and location-scale revealed that the snakes used habitats and ecotones non-randomly. Man-made structures were preferred significantly over all other habitat types in both study areas with buildings and their surroundings, stone walls and compost heaps preferred microhabitats in both areas. These sites were used mainly as sheltering places or for thermoregulatory activities. In both areas snakes showed a preference for ecotones, transitional areas between biomes. Urban structures were favoured for nesting and overwintering sites. The prevalence of snakes in man-made edge habitats suggests that in climatically challenging conditions, these otherwise heat seeking snakes prefer different habitats than in more southernly areas of this species' range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]