We hypothesised that changes in prey type throughout postnatal ontogeny would coincide with distinct changes in skull shape. We investigated ontogenetic variation in diet from stomach contents of 161 Dugite specimens ( Pseudonaja affinis, Elapidae) representing the full range of body size for the species, and skull morphology of 46 specimens (range 0.25–1.64 m snout-vent-length SVL). Ontogenetic changes in prey type and size are likely to be associated with distinct morphological changes in the skull during growth. ![]() As snakes are limbless, gape-limited predators, their skull is the main feeding structure involved in prey handling, manipulation and feeding.
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