Many defensive behaviors have been described in the animal kingdom. Normally, a single specific escape-behavior is associated with each animal species. This however, is not the case for the crowned leafnose (Lytorhynchus diadema: Colubridae), a snake which displays several behaviors. This snake species has a wide Palearctic distribution, ranging over a distance of more than 5,000 km from Morocco and Mauritania in the West, through Egypt, Sinai and Israel, and into the Iran Asiatic areas in the East. In addition, it occurs in a wide range of habitats but mainly in sand desert dunes to which it is very well adapted. Field observations of L. diadema were carried out in the desert sand dunes surrounding Wadi Seher located 15 km south of Beer-Sheva (31°13’N and 34°79’E) in the western Negev, Israel. Wadi Seher is 320−340 m above sea level, and has an annual average rainfall of about 150 mm, all occurring during the winter. Snake behavior was observed by making random scans of the area on foot for over 30 years, from 1980 to 2016. Results/Conclusions Four different escape-defensive behaviors were identified during field observations:
The four behaviors can be divided into two types: the first type occurs when the snake feels threatened and the danger is at a considerable distance. The snake displays a cobra-like posture at first, but when danger approaches, displays the head protective behavior, emitting noises at the same time. The second type occurs when the danger is closer and comprises the other two behaviors, which may be displayed at the same time. All these behaviors have been described in other snake species but the novelty here is that all were observed in the same snake species.
