Exploring habitat selection in sea snakes using passive acoustic monitoring and Bayesian hierarchical models

Resource selection studies often use analytical techniques that provide information at either a population or an individual level. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model that simultaneously estimates population- and individual-level habitat selection to explore how varying levels of dietary specialisation affect resource requirements of 2 species of sea snakes that occupy the same coastal environment. We used passive acoustic telemetry to monitor the movements of the 2 species—a dietary generalist, Hydrophis (Lapemis) curtus, and a dietary specialist, H. elegans—and investigated how individuals select habitats based on habitat type, depth and proximity to sources of freshwater within a nearshore environment. Composition of diets in both species was also assessed using regurgitated material from captured individuals. Selection of habitats by the 2 species differed, with H. elegans displaying an affinity for mudflat and seagrass habitats <4 km from sources of freshwater and depths