Registration Form to be returned before April 30, 2007 to:

2nd Biology of the Vipers Conference Organising Committee

Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão (Portugal)

Please, fill in and send preferably via e-mail to:

or, if not possible, by Fax: +351 252661780

Name:Zoran Tadic

Institution:Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb

Postal address:Rooseveltov trg 6Zip code:HR-10000

Country:CroatiaFax:+385 1 4826260e-mail:

Accompanying person(s)? [ ]Name:

I wish to present [X] an oral communication [ ] a poster

Congress fees / Until May 31, 2007 / Late fee
SHE members / [ ] 200 € / [ ] 300 €
Non-members / [X] 250 € / [ ] 350 €
Student1 members / [ ] 125 € / [ ] 225 €
Student1 non-members / [ ] 150 € / [ ] 250 €
Accompanying persons / [ ] 100 € / [ ] 200 €
Discount if also attending to the 14th European Congress of Herpetology2 / [ ] -50 € / -
TOTAL / € / €

1Student status should be justified

2See information in:

Payment should be made by bank transfer to the account:

Account name: José Brito, Miguel Carretero & Bárbara Mendonça

Bank name: Caixa Geral de Depósitos

Bank agency: Modivas

IBAN: PT50003504760000206940061

BIC/SWIFT: CGDIPTPL

Participants must pay any transaction charges.A scanned or faxed copy of the transfer documen VIPERCONFERENCE (or HERPMEETING+VIPERCONFERENCE if you attend both events).

Abstract Form to be returned before April 30, 2007

you can make copies for every communication

TITLE:Chemical Prey preferences in the ingestionally naiive White-Lipped Tree Viper, Cryptelytrops albolabris
Author(s): (speaker in bold)
Z. Tadic, D. Lisicic, G. M. Burghardt1
Address(es): (include e-mail)
Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia,
1Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA,
Text (<250 words):
Among venomous snakes, arboreal vipers form a distinct group which has special behavioural, morphological and functional adaptations for living in a complex three-dimensional environment of bushes and/or trees. Majority of arboreal vipers are small to medium snakes with prehensile tails which enables them to anchor themselves on branches. Although they are quite popular as pets and as objects for studying taxonomic relationships, surprisingly little is known about their ecology and behaviour. In the series of experiments, we tested chemical preferences of the newborn, ingestionally naiive White-Lipped Tree Vipers (Cryptelytrops albolabris). Sixteen animals were tested using cotton swabs smeared with eight scents: fish skin, frog skin, lizard skin and day-old mouse skin. Also, the abdominal compartment smears of each of the scent-providing animalwere included in the test. All these scents may be relevant as the food odours in nature. As a negative control, we used distilled water and as a pungency control perfume diluted 1:7. The rate of tongue flicking was measured as a response to the various olfactory stimuli. Each animal was tested with eight scents + two controls. The animals were tested once daily with one scent and with the other scents/controls on the consecutive days (for 10 days). The order of presentation of the scents/controls was randomly generated for each snake.After the first series of the experiments, the snakes were fed three times in 10– 14day interval with day-old mice and tested again with the same number od scents/controls, 15 days after the last feeding. The results will be discussed in the light of the ontogenetic diet shifts and their relevance to the evolution of chemosensory preferences in vipers and snakes in general.

Proposed as: oral [X] poster [ ]

Oral communications: 15 min + 5 min discussion.

Posters: about 100 x 150 m; fixation materials will be provided.

CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos

Campus Agrário de Vairão. PT-4485-661 Vairão (Portugal)

tel.+351 252 660416fax. +351 252 661780e-mail: