Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 36/1. (2016)
Zoology
Preliminary study regarding the distribution, biology and ecology ofNatrix tesselata (Laurenti 1768) in the Republic of Moldova moult. Snakes moult, usually, in the morning, when humidity is higher - a factor that favors the moulting proccess. Snakes moult fully, and the process starts from the head (Photo 4). Photo 4: The moulting of dice snake. The time of moulting depends on the size and speed of movement of the animal, but usually is no more than 4—5 minutes. During a season of activity the healthy snakes moult up to 4 times. The mating period of the dice snake starts in the second half of April, depending on weather conditions and takes 2-3 weeks. In the mating period snakes form “tangles”, reaching up to tens of specimens, but in the most cases “tangles” consist of a female, rarely two females and 7—9 males of different ages. Sex ratio tends towards 1: 1, as demonstrated on populations from Trebujeni and Gura Bicului (Fig. 3). Fig. 3: Relationship between the sexes of the species Natrix tessellata in populations of Trebujeni and Gura Bicului, 2016 (%). After the mating period snakes disperse towards trophic sectors and in late April and early May (depending on environmental conditions) they begin to feed. The study of stomach contents extractions showed that the main subject of food of dice snake in populations from 113
