Latitudinal effect on the structure of snake-prey interaction networks is mediated by snake species richness

Pinto-Coelho, Daniela 1 ; P. Maia, Kate2; R. V. Alencar, Laura3; Martins, Marcio 1 ; R. Guimarães, Paulo 1

Published Jun 05, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m905qfvh5

Abstract

The dataset used to perform the analyses of the manuscript "Latitudinal effect on the structure of snake-prey interaction networks is mediated by snake species richness". Data regarding the 46 snake-prey interaction networks were obtained from published studies describing well-studied snake communities (references are listed in the supplementary material of the article). Information on snake diet was obtained from the diet dataset available in the R package 'SquamataBase', supplemented with diet information derived from specific literature in the field.

Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.m905qfvh5

Description of the data, file structure, and variables.

The dataset was derived from previously published scientific studies (listed below) that described the snake species pool of a given locality. Each publication was carefully evaluated for its sampling sufficiency as described in the Methods section of this document. Information on the diet of each snake species was initially obtained from information available in the SquamataBase package of the R software (Grundler 2020). Additionally, we supplemented the dataset with information derived from peer-reviewed scientific articles describing the diet of snakes. Prey were classified into broad categories, as this is how many studies describe diet, since identifying the stomach contents of snakes at the prey species level is often a challenge.

Each of the 46 files in the dataset corresponds to a binary interaction matrix, where snake species are represented in the rows and prey categories in the columns. If the snake feeds on the prey, the matrix cell is filled with "1"; if the interaction was not recorded, with "0". The "Degree" column indicates the total number of prey that the snake species consumed. Since one of our objectives was to evaluate the influence of community attributes on network structure, we also collected information on taxonomic diversity (columns "Family" and "Subfamily"), body size (columns "Mass" - information obtained from Feldman et al. 2016), and snake lifestyle (column "Lifestyle"). In addition, to compose the data used in evaluating the quality of the sampling effort (Sampling effort category), we also included in the table the number of snake specimens collected by the study (column "Specimens"). More details about the Sampling effort category are provided in Table S1 of the supplementary material of the article.

Some files may have cells in the "Specimens" and "Mass" columns filled with "NA". If this occurs for "Specimens," it is because information on the number of individuals collected was not provided by the study. If it occurs for the "Mass", it is because that snake species was not included in the analyses of Feldman et al. 2016, probably because it is a species described after the publication of the study.

Considering all the networks that make up the dataset, we recorded a total of 27 prey categories, listed below by taxonomic grouping. Some examples of prey grouped into broader categories are listed in parentheses:

Mammals: (1) Big_mammals (e.g., deer, cattle, tapirs, pigs), (2) Medium_mammals (e.g., agoutis, armadillos, opossums, etc.), (3) Small_mammals (e.g., small rodents and small marsupials), (4) Monkeys, and (5) Bats
Birds: (6) Passeriformes, (7) Non_passeriformes (e.g., hawks, eagles, herons, storks, waterfowl), and (8) Bird_eggs
Reptiles: (9) Alligators, (10) Turtles, (11) Lizards, (12) Snakes, (13) Amphisbaenians, (14) Squamata_eggs, and (15) Turtle_eggs
Amphibians: (16) Anurans, (17) Anuran_eggs_tadpoles, (18) Gymnophiona, and (19) Urodela
Fish: (20) Fishes and (21) Fish_eggs
Invertebrates: (22) Crustaceans, (23) Earthworms, (24) Mollusks, (25) Myriapoda, (26) Onychophores, (27) Invertebrates (e.g., other invertebrates such as insects and their larvae, mites, spiders, scorpions)

Files grouped by continent

Note: All files in the dataset are delimited by semicolons.

South America

File: Bagual.csv

Description: Network of snake-prey interactions in the El Bagual ecological reserve, northeastern Argentina. Snake richness was obtained from the study "Yanosky, A., Dixon, J.R. and Mercolli, C. 1996. Ecology of the snake community at El Bagual ecological reserve, northeastern Argentina. Herpetological Natural History, 4(3), 97-110".

File: Chacoan.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the Chacoan domain, eastern Argentina. Snake richness was obtained through study "Bellini, G.P., Giraudo, A.R., Arzamendia, V., and Etchepare, E.G. 2015. Temperate snake community in South America: Is diet determined by phylogeny or ecology? PLoS One, 10(5), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123237".

File: Sieras_Ventania.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of southwest of Buenos Aires province, east-central Argentina. Snake richness was obtained through study "Di Pietro, D.O., Williams, J.D., Cabrera, M.R., Alcalde, L., Cajade, R. and Kacoliris, F.P. 2020. Resource partitioning in a snake assemblage from east-central Argentina. An Acad Bras Cienc, 92: e20180766. https://doi:10.1590/0001-3765202020180766".

File: Bahia.csv

Description: Network of snake-prey interactions of the coastal from Northern Bahia, Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Marques, R., Mebert, K., Fonseca, E., Rödder, D., Solé, M. and Tinôco, M. S. 2016. Composition and natural history notes of the coastal snake assemblage from Northern Bahia, Brazil. ZooKeys, 611, 93–142. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.611.9529"

File: Carlos_Botelho.csv

Description: Network of snake-prey interactions of the Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, São Paulo, Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Forlani, M.C., Bernardo, P.H., Haddad, C.B.F. and Hussam, Z. 2010. Herpetofauna do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, São Paulo, Brasil. Biota Neotropica, 10(3), 265-309. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032010000300028".

File: Ceara.csv

Description: Network of snake-prey interactions in the municipality of Pentecoste, Ceará, Northeast Brazil, Ceará, Nordeste do Brasil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Mesquita, P.C.M.D., Passos, D.C., Borges-Nojosa, D.M. and Cechin, S.Z. 2013. Ecologia e história natural das serpentes de uma área de caatinga no nordeste brasileiro. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 53(8), 99‐113. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0031-10492013000800001".

File: Espigao.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Espigão do Oeste, Rondônia, southwestern Amazon, Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Bernarde, P.S. and Abe, A.S. 2006. A snake community at Espigão do Oeste, Rondônia, southwestern Amazon, Brazil. South American Journal of Herpetology, 1(2), 102-113. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032010000100017".

File: Igarape.csv

File: Itirapina.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in the Itirapina, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Sawaya, R.J., Marques, O.A.V. and Martins, M. 2008. Composição e história natural das serpentes de Cerrado de Itirapina, São Paulo, sudeste do Brasil. Biota Neotropica, 8(2), 127-149. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032008000200015".

File: Japi.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Serra do Japi, São Paulo, Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Sazima, I. and Haddad, C.F.B. 1992. Répteis da Serra do Japi: notas sobre história natural. pp. 212-236. In Morellato, L.P.C. (Ed.), História natural da Serra do Japi: ecologia e preservação de uma área florestal no sudeste do Brasil. Ed. Unicamp e FAPESP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil".

File: Jureia.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins, São Paulo, Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Marques, O.A.V. and Sazima, I. 2004. História natural dos répteis da Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins. pp. 257-277. In Marques, O.A.V. and Duleba, W. (Eds.), Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itatins: ambiente físico, flora e fauna, Holos, Ribeirão Preto".

File: Manaus.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Manaus region, Central Amazonia, Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Martins, M., and Oliveira, M.E. 1998. Natural history of snakes in forests of the Manaus region, Central Amazonia, Brazil. Herpetological Natural History, 6(2), 78–150".

File: Pantanal.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Pantanal at Poconé, Mato Grosso, Western Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Strussmann, C. and Sazima, I. 1993. The snake assemblage of the Pantanal at Poconé, Western Brazil: Faunal composition and ecological summary. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 28(3), 157-168. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650529309360900".

File: Papagaio.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, southern Minas Gerais, Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Menezes, F.A.M., Abegg, A.D., Silva, B.R., Franco, F.L., and Feio, R.N. 2018. Composition and natural history of the snakes from the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, southern Minas Gerais, Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil. ZooKeys, 797, 117–160. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.797.24549".

File: Paraiba.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in the Barra de Gramame, south of the João Pessoa, Paraíba State, Northeast Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Sampaio, I.L.R., Santos, C.P., França, R.C., Pedrosa, I.M.M.C., Solé, M. and França, F.G.R. 2018. Ecological diversity of a snake assemblage from the Atlantic Forest at the south coast of Paraíba, northeast Brazil. ZooKeys, 787, 107–125. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.787.26946".

File: Picinguaba.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Núcleo Picinguaba, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Hartmann, P.A., Hartmann, M.T. and Martins, M. 2009a. Ecology of a snake assemblage in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 49, 343‐360. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0031-10492009002700001".

File: Santa_Barbara.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in in the municipality of Santa Bárbara, southeastern Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Fiorillo, B.F., Maciel, J.H., Martins, M. 2021. Composition and natural history of a snake community from the southern Cerrado, southeastern Brazil. ZooKeys, 1056: 95–147. https://doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1056.63733".

File: Santa_Virginia.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Núcleo Santa Virgínia, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Hartmann, P.A., Hartmann, M.T. and Martins, M. 2009b. Ecology and natural history of a snake assemblage at Núcleo Santa Virgínia, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, southeastern Brazil. Biota Neotropica, 9, 173-184. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032009000300018".

File: Tapirai.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the Tapiraí e Piedade, São Paulo, southeastern of Brazil. Snake richness was obtained through study "Condez, T.H., Sawaya, R.J. and Dixo, M. 2009. Herpetofauna dos remanescentes de Mata Atlântica da região de Tapiraí e Piedade, SP, sudeste do Brasil. Biota Neotrop., 9(1), 157-185. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032009000100018".

Central America

File: Chiapas.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the Chiapas, Mexico. Snake richness was obtained through study "Johnson, J.D., Mata-Silva, V., Padilla, E.G., and Wilson, I.D. 2015. The herpetofauna of Chiapas, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation. Mesoamerican Herpetology, 2(3), 272-329".

File: Lacandona.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the southeastern part of the Lacandona rainforest, Mexico. Snake richness was obtained through study "Hernández-Ordónez, O., Arroyo-Rodríguez, V., González-Hernández, A.,Russildi, G., Luna-Reyes, R., Martínez-Ramos, M. and Reynoso, V.H. 2015. Range extensions of amphibians and reptiles in the southeastern part of the Lacandona rainforest, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, 86(2), 457–468".

North America

File: Arizona.csv

Description: Network of snake-prey interactions of the Vicinity of Wickenburg, Maricopa County, Arizona. Snake richness was obtained from the study "Gates, G.O. 1957. A Study of the Herpetofauna in the Vicinity of Wickenburg, Maricopa County, Arizona. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, 60(4), 403-418. https://doi.org/10.2307/3626396"

File: Florida.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in the Red Hills region of the Gulf Coastal Plain, Florida, United States. Snake richness was obtained through study "Sash, K.J. 2007. Community structure and habitat associations of snakes in the Red Hills region of the Gulf Coastal Plain - PhD thesis, University of Georgia, United States".

File: Kansas.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation in the northeastern corner of Douglas County, Kansas, United States. Snake richness was obtained through study "Fitch, H.S. 1982. Resources of a snake community in prairie-woodland habitat of northeastern Kansas. pp. 83-97. In: Scott Jr., N.J. (Ed.), Herpetological Communities: A Symposium of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Herpetologists' League, August 1977, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Research Report, 254 pp.".

File: Mississipi.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the Gulf Coastal Plain of Mississippi, United States. Snake richness was obtained through study "Lee, J.R. 2009. The Herpetofauna of the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in the Gulf Coastal Plain of Mississippi. Southeastern Naturalist, 8(4), 639-652. https://doi.org/10.1656/058.008.0406".

File: Missouri.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region between Nebraska and South Dakota, United States. Snake richness was obtained through study "Fogell, D.D. and Cunningham, G.R. 2005. Herpetofaunal Inventory of the Missouri National Recreational River and the Niobrara National Scenic River. Final Report submitted to Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Coordinator National Park Service, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota 57751".

File: New_Mexico.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in the San Bernardino Valley and part of the San Simon Valley in the southeastern and southwestern corners of Arizona (Cochise County) and New Mexico. Snake richness was obtained through study "Mendelson III, J.R. and Jennings, W.B. 1992. Shifts in the Relative Abundance of Snakes in a Desert Grassland. Journal of Herpetology, 26(1), 38-45. https://10.2307/1565019".

File: Niobrara.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the north-central Nebraska, United States. Snake richness was obtained through study "Fogell, D.D. and Cunningham, G.R. 2005. Herpetofaunal Inventory of the Missouri National Recreational River and the Niobrara National Scenic River. Final Report submitted to Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Coordinator National Park Service, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota 57751".

File: Oklahoma.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of Oklahoma state, United States. Snake richness was obtained through study "Riedle, J.D. and Hackler, J.C. 2006. A Herpetofaunal Survey of the Confluence of the Canadian and Arkansas Rivers: Constructing a Baseline Inventory for the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science, 86, 1-7".

File: Pennsylvania.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Snake richness was obtained through study "Gray, B.S. and Lethaby, M. 2008. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society, 44(2): 49-69".

File: Texas.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of Texas, Southern United States. Snake richness was obtained through study "Ford, N.B. and Lancaster, D.L. 2007. The Species-Abundance Distribution of Snakes in a Bottomland Hardwood Forest of the Southern United States. Journal of Herpetology, 41(3), 385-393. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-42020-6.50012-3".

Europe

File: Bulgaria.csv

Description: Network of snake-prey interactions of the Western Rhodopes mountain (Bulgaria and Greece). Snake richness was obtained through study "Petrov B.P., Tzankov, N., Strijbosch, H., Popgeorgiev, G., and Beshkov, V. 2006. The herpetofauna (Amphibia and Reptilia) of the Western Rhodopes mountain (Bulgaria and Greece). pp 863-912. In: Beron P. (Ed.) Biodiversity of Bulgaria. 3. Biodiversity of Western Rhodopes (Bulgaria and Greece), Sofia, Pensoft, National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences."

File: Germany.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Schleswig-Holsteins region, Germany. Snake richness was obtained through study "Klinge, A. 2005. Atlas der Amphibien und Reptilien Schleswig-Holsteins. LANU, 277 pp."

File: Greece.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in the Prespa National Park, Greece. Snake richness was obtained through study "Ioannidis, Y. and Bousbouras, D. 1997. The space utilization by the reptiles in Prespa National Park. Hydrobiologia, 351, 135–142. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003076810835".

File: Roma.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of nort-east of Rome, central Italy. Snake richness was obtained through study "Capizzi, D., Luiselli, L., Capula, M. and Rugiero, L. 1995. Feeding habits of a mediterranean community of snakes in relation to prey availability. Revue d'Écologie (La Terre et La Vie), 50(4). https://doi.org/10.3406/revec.1995.2183".

File: Serbia.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in the Bosilegrad region of southern Serbia. Snake richness was obtained through study "Sterijovsk, B . 2014. Systematic survey of amphibian and reptile fauna in the Bosilegrad region of southern Serbia. Biologia Serbica, 36: 65-68.".

Africa

File: Ejule.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the Niger Delta, southern Nigeria. Snake richness was obtained through study "Akani, G.C., Barieenee, I.F., Capizzi, D. and Luiselli, L. 1999. Snake communities of moist rainforest and derived savanna sites of Nigeria: biodiversity patterns and conservation priorities. Biodiversity and Conservation, 8, 629–642. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2028.2002.00358.x".

File: Eket.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the south-eastern Nigeria. Snake richness was obtained through study "Luiselli, L., Akani, G.C. and Capizzi, D. 1998. Food resource partitioning of a community of snakes in a swamp rainforest of south-eastern Nigeria. J. Zool., Lond. 246(2), 125-133. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1998.tb00141.x".

Asia

File: Gaoligong_I.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Gaoligong Mountain region, China (Gaoligong I). Snake richness was obtained through study "Wang, K., Zhong-Bin, Y., Yun-He W., Shao-Bing H., Wei G., Song-Hou, D., Yun X., Yun-Fang J., Kuan-Can L., Jia-Hua L., Yang, Q., Xiang-Yuan, H., Ying-Gang, F., Zheng-Pan, D., Fa-Wang, Y., Sheng-Quan S., Ya-Yong, W. and Jing C. 2024. Herpetofauna diversity of the Gaoligong Mountain in China: Checklist, zoogeography, and conservation. Zool. Res. Divers. Conserv., 1(3), 169−179. https://doi.org/10.24272/j.issn.2097-3772.2024.003".

File: Gaoligong_IV.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Gaoligong Mountain region, China (Gaoligong IV). Snake richness was obtained through study "Wang, K., Zhong-Bin, Y., Yun-He W., Shao-Bing H., Wei G., Song-Hou, D., Yun X., Yun-Fang J., Kuan-Can L., Jia-Hua L., Yang, Q., Xiang-Yuan, H., Ying-Gang, F., Zheng-Pan, D., Fa-Wang, Y., Sheng-Quan S., Ya-Yong, W. and Jing C. 2024. Herpetofauna diversity of the Gaoligong Mountain in China: Checklist, zoogeography, and conservation. Zool. Res. Divers. Conserv., 1(3), 169−179. https://doi.org/10.24272/j.issn.2097-3772.2024.003".

File: Uzbekistan.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in the central region of the Uzbekistan. Snake richness was obtained through study "Martin, T.E., Guillemin, M., Nivet-Mazerolles, V., Landsmann, C., Dubos, J., Eudeline, R. and Stroud, J.T. 2017. The herpetofauna of central Uzbekistan. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 11(1), 93–107, e140".

File: Vietnam.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the Tam-Dao Mountain Ridge, Tonkin, Vietnam. Snake richness was obtained through study "Orlov, N.L., R.W. Murphy and Papenfuss, T.J. 2000. List of snakes of Tam-Dao Mountain Ridge (Tonkin, Vietnam). Russian Journal of Herpetology, 7(1), 69–80".

Oceania

File: Carnarvon.csv

Description: Network of snake-prey interactions of the southern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. Snake richness was obtained through study "McKenzie, N.L., Rolfe, J.K., Aplin, K.P., Cowan, M.A. and Smith, L.A. 2000. Herpetofauna of the southern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement, 61, 335-360. https://doi.org/10.18195/ISSN.0313-122X.61.2000.335-360".

File: Port_Hedland.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Abydos Plain, north-eastern Pilbara, Western Australia. Snake richness was obtained through study "How, R.A. and Dell, J. 2004. Reptile assemblage of the Abydos Plain, north-eastern Pilbara, Western Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 87(3), 85-95.".

File: Queensland.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network of the Weipa Region, Cape York Peninsula, Australia. Snake richness was obtained through study "Cameron, E.E. and Cogger, H.O.G. 1992. The Herpetofauna of the Weipa Region, Cape York Peninsula. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum, 7".

File: Zuytdorp.csv

Description: Snake-prey interaction network in a region of the Zuytdorp coast and hinterland of Western Australia. Snake richness was obtained through study "Maryan, B., Gaikhorst, G. and Parkhurst, B. 2024. The terrestrial herpetofauna of the Zuytdorp coast and hinterland of Western Australia: Exceptional richness in a global biodiversity hotspot. The Western Australian Naturalist, 33(3), 241-262".

Code/software

All analyses performed were conducted using the R programming language.

The scripts used in the analyses are available at: "https://github.com/danipcoelho83/Latitudinal-effect-on-the-structure-of-snake-prey-interaction-networks".

Access information

Other publicly accessible locations of the data:

Data was derived from the following sources:

Akani, G.C., Barieenee, I.F., Capizzi, D. and Luiselli, L. 1999. Snake communities of moist rainforest and derived savanna sites of Nigeria: biodiversity patterns and conservation priorities. Biodiversity and Conservation, 8, 629–642. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2028.2002.00358.x

Bellini, G.P., Giraudo, A.R., Arzamendia, V., and Etchepare, E.G. 2015. Temperate snake community in South America: Is diet determined by phylogeny or ecology? PLoS One, 10(5), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123237

Bernarde, P.S. and Abe, A.S. 2006. A snake community at Espigão do Oeste, Rondônia, southwestern Amazon, Brazil. South American Journal of Herpetology, 1(2), 102-113. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032010000100017

Bernarde, P.S., Machado, R.A. and Turci, L.C.B. 2011. Herpetofauna da área do Igarapé Esperança na Reserva Extrativista Riozinho da Liberdade, Acre – Brasil. Biota Neotropica, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032011000300010

Cameron, E.E. and Cogger, H.O.G. 1992. The Herpetofauna of the Weipa Region, Cape York Peninsula. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum, 7.

Capizzi, D., Luiselli, L., Capula, M. and Rugiero, L. 1995. Feeding habits of a mediterranean community of snakes in relation to prey availability. Revue d'Écologie (La Terre et La Vie), 50(4). https://doi.org/10.3406/revec.1995.2183

Condez, T.H., Sawaya, R.J. and Dixo, M. 2009. Herpetofauna dos remanescentes de Mata Atlântica da região de Tapiraí e Piedade, SP, sudeste do Brasil. Biota Neotrop., 9(1), 157-185. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032009000100018

Di Pietro, D. O., Williams, J. D., Cabrera, M. R., Alcalde, L., Cajade, R. and Kacoliris, F. P. 2020. Resource partitioning in a snake assemblage from east-central Argentina. - Anais Acad. Bras. Ciênc. 92: e20180766. https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765202020180766

Fiorillo, B. F., Maciel, J. H. and Martins, M. 2021. Composition and natural history of a snake community from the southern Cerrado, southeastern Brazil. - ZooKeys 1056: 95–147. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1056.63733

Fitch, H.S. 1982. Resources of a snake community in prairie-woodland habitat of northeastern Kansas. pp. 83-97. In: Scott Jr., N.J. (Ed.), Herpetological Communities: A Symposium of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Herpetologists' League, August 1977, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Research Report, 254 pp.

Fogell, D.D. and Cunningham, G.R. 2005. Herpetofaunal Inventory of the Missouri National Recreational River and the Niobrara National Scenic River. Final Report submitted to Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Coordinator National Park Service, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota 57751.

Ford, N.B. and Lancaster, D.L. 2007. The Species-Abundance Distribution of Snakes in a Bottomland Hardwood Forest of the Southern United States. Journal of Herpetology, 41(3), 385-393. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-42020-6.50012-3

Forlani, M.C., Bernardo, P.H., Haddad, C.B.F. and Hussam, Z. 2010. Herpetofauna do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, São Paulo, Brasil. Biota Neotropica, 10(3), 265-309. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1676-06032010000300028

Gates, G.O. 1957. A Study of the Herpetofauna in the Vicinity of Wickenburg, Maricopa County, Arizona. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, 60(4), 403-418. https://doi.org/10.2307/3626396

Gray, B. S. and Lethaby, M. 2008. The amphibians and reptiles of Erie County, Pennsylvania. - -Bull. Maryland Herpetol. Soc. 44: 49–69.

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We compiled a dataset composed of 46 trophic networks of snakes and their food resources. First, we searched the Web of Science (https://webofknowledge.com/) and Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) databases for studies describing local pools of snake species and covering a broad latitudinal range. Because interaction detectability, and therefore network structure, can be strongly affected by sampling effort (Pringle and Hutchinson 2020), we ranked all studies based on sampling effort. Our sampling effort ranking was based on five criteria: (i) sampling effort (days and hours in field) (ii) size of the study area, (iii) number of snake individuals recorded, (iv) expected snake species richness for the study region (based on the literature), and (v) number of snake species recorded (Supporting information). The ranking ranged from 1 (unsatisfactory sampling) to 5 (satisfactory sampling), and we only used those studies classified in categories 3 (n = 7), 4 (n =20), and 5 (n = 19).

Then we compiled dietary data for the snakes in our dataset. We started with the dietary information available in the SquamataBase R package (Grundler 2020) and complemented it with information from peer-reviewed articles describing diet or notes on natural history. Studies often classify snakes’ prey into coarse categories (e.g., lizards, amphibians, birds, mammals), as identifying gut contents at the species level is often challenging (Secor and Diamond 2000). But these coarse categories tend to reflect the scale of diet specialization in snakes, e.g., amphibians are a prey category, which include anurans, caecilians, or salamanders (Martins and Oliveira 1998). Even if there is no single level of ecological interaction description that is intrinsically correct at expense of others (Guimarães 2020), and a similar coarse categorical description of resources is often used for food webs (Cohen 1993), we further stratified prey categories into a level that allowed us to utilize data available in the literature without obscuring network patterns (Pinto-Coelho et al. 2021, Supporting information).

For each study we extracted information on snake species richness, number of prey categories, sampling effort, and geographical information about the study site (Supporting information). We built one network for each community, all represented by a binary interaction matrix A, in which a_ij = 1 if snake i feeds on resource j, and a_ij = 0 otherwise.