Once Just an Asian-Pacific Island Jungle Predator, Now an "Invasive Species" - The Brown Tree Snake!
This Squidoo lens will give you more information on this interesting reptile.
Contents at a Glance
- Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, Tumon, Guam
- More Information and Pictures about the Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis
- Large Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, Confluence of Ugam and Bubalao Rivers, Guam
Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, Tumon, Guam
More Information and Pictures about the Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis
Brown Tree Snake, Boiga Irregularis Photographic Poster Print by David M. Dennis, 56x42
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Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change: An Ecological and Conservation Synthesis by David Lindenmayer, Joern Fischer
Habitat loss and degradation that comes as a resul more...0 points
Brown Tree Snake, Boiga Irregularis Photographic Poster Print by David M. Dennis, 16x12
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Problem Snake Management: The Habu and Brown Treesnake (Comstock books)
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Large Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, Confluence of Ugam and Bubalao Rivers, Guam
"Snakes? We Don't Have Any Snakes!" .... Yeah, Right.... What's That Behind You?
In 1969, they were rare. But you could still see one occasionally in the southern areas of the island--and particularly near the Navy Base on the west side of the island. (Maybe we saw a lot because we were always boonie stomping on the island--we were always in the forests and near the rivers and shorelines.)
Every morning, we'd wake up to the birds making a ruckus in the trees surrounding our home. However, by 1975, bird-songs weren't that prevalent around the island. By 1980, it was rare to hear birds making any noise anywhere around the island. That was the clue that something was drastically wrong. Also, in the meantime, by 1975, snake sightings were becoming more and more frequent. Folks finally admitted that there were indeed snakes on the island.
Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, Tumon, Guam
If You are Going to Be Surrounded by Snakes - This is the Way to Do It!
Alien and Invasive Critter - The Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis
The snakes found an island with native wildlife unprepared to handle such an efficient and aggressive predator. Some of these native wildlife included the Guam rail--a flightless bird that had for many, many years survived without having to fly. The snakes made quick meals out of these birds and their eggs. The snakes also eat the island's skinks (small lizards), tree frogs, insects, rodents (mice, rats), the eggs and young of the monitor lizards, and even small domestic animals and their young (chickens, kittens, puppies).
Dozens of bird species have been wiped out--many that had been found nowhere else on earth, and the snakes have reached huge population densities reported to be as high as 15,000 snakes per square mile.
The snakes are mostly nocturnal (unless extremely hungry, then you'll find them out during the day), they are arboreal (they do most of their hunting and living in trees), and they aren't picky eaters--they eat darn near anything that moves and that's small enough to engulf in their mouth. They are oviparous--in other words--they lay eggs. Also, the snakes are venomous. The good thing is... they are considered "rear-fang" snakes of the Colubrid family, and although they are related to cobras, their rear-fangs and venom are not considered to be dangerous for humans. (Although, if one chewed on you for a while --something that might fit in their mouth so the fangs could inject the venom--such as a finger, a toe, an ankle--you might have a nasty wound and suffer medical complications from the toxins in the venom.)
A side note: the snakes on Guam frequently crawl into power transformers and try to traverse parallel power lines, which results in both an electrocuted snake and frequent power outages.
Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis) Eating a Mouse, Tumon, Guam
Well, If You Really Want to See These Critters, You Can Get There This Way!
Uh, Guam's Airport Code is "GUM" ... Orbitz will Get You There!
Don't Slither Away Until You Drop a Note!
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Reply
- aj2008 aj2008 Jul 1, 2009 @ 7:06 am
- Ok, I'll stay long enough to say very good lens and I love how you tell such personal stories. Angel Blessings to you!
by EditorDave
Living on Guam is what now "defines" me. It was such a dramatic difference in my life and outlook on things that there's no way I'd be the same...
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