An observation of drinking behavior by a Green Cat Snake, <i>Boiga cyanea</i> (Dumeril, Bibron, and Dumeril 1854)

Maintaining body water balance in carnivorous vertebrates such as snakes is essential for digestion, excretion, and defecation, and consumption and metabolism of food can raise requirements for water (Lillywhite 2017).Snakes can gain water from dietary and metabolic sources but not enough to maintain water balance in every weather condition (Lillywhite 2017), although some terrestrial snakes exhibit resistance to dehydration (Lillywhite 2006).French (1956) reported that several species have been observed to decrease their food intake when water is scarce.Lillywhite (2017) observed that snakes increased water intake in response to food consumption.Different studies reported that free water sources are crucially important for water balance in carnivorous vertebrates (