Ecological data on the Smooth Snake ( Coronella austriaca ) remains limited. Previous
studies report that it mainly consumes lizards, but also mammals and snakes. Its habitat
selection remains poorly understood, especially regarding prey availability. As there
is limited data on the diet of this species from Central Europe, and it was considered
a potential predator of the endangered Vipera ursinii rakosiensis (Hungarian Meadow
Viper), we conducted a study concerning the diet of C. austriaca in one of the largest
V. ursinii habitats in Hungary. We also tested if the availability of prey species
affects its occupancy. Smooth Snake individuals were captured to collect faecal samples,
in which the remains were identified. In the obtained samples, we found remains of
lizards (65%, namely Lacerta viridis , Podarcis tauricus and Lacerta agilis ), mammals
(20%), insects (12.5%) and Smooth Snake (2.5%). We found no remains of V. ursinii
in the samples. We used two-species occupancy modelling to test if the occupancy of
C. austriaca is linked to the presence of prey species in the area. We found interactions
between C. austriaca and its lizard prey, as occupancy of the Smooth Snake had a higher
probability when these species were present. We found no interaction between the Smooth
Snake and V. ursinii . Our results support that C. austriaca mainly preys on lizards
and its occupancy depends on prey availability. Importantly, we found no evidence
that C. austriaca consumes V. ursinii, further supported by the lack of interaction
between the occupancy of C. austriaca and V. ursinii .
