Control and Containment of the Brown Treesnake and Other Invasive Reptiles

Research Task: RB00CM6.1.0
Task Manager: Bob Reed

The Brown Treesnake’s colonization on Guam has resulted in the extirpation of at least 17 vertebrate species from the island over the last 6 decades. Shipping and air traffic out of Guam provide opportunities for this highly invasive, destructive snake to be transported to other islands and the United States mainland, where it could cause similar problems. Scientists with the USGS Brown Treesnake project conduct research on this snake species, including control tool development and validation, ecology and ecological impacts, and early detection methods. The program has been expanded to include other invasive reptiles, such as the Burmese Python, Boa Constrictor, and Northern African Python in Florida and invasive watersnakes in California. Control of these species is often prohibitively expensive after they have become established. The cost of an eradication program depends upon the least capturable individual. The USGS Rapid Response Team was established to help prevent the spread of invasive Brown Treesnakes through screening, risk assessment, outreach, and training for field response efforts. The Brown Treesnake project partners include DOI Office of Insular Affairs, USDA National Wildlife Research Center and Wildlife Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and State and Island governments.

 For more information contact Bob Reed

Related Products

Publications

• Genetic analysis of a novel invasion of Puerto Rico by an exotic constricting snake
• Do predators control prey species abundance? An experimental test with Brown Treesnakes on Guam
• Consumption of bird eggs by invasive Burmese pythons in Florida
• Divergence in morphology, but not habitat use, despite low genetic differentiation among insular populations of the lizard Anolis lemurinus in Honduras
• Ecological correlates of invasion impact for Burmese pythons in Florida
• Boiga irregularis (Brown Treesnake). Predation attempt by praying mantis
• Scented guide ropes as a method to enhance brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) trap capture success on Guam
• Brown Treesnake
• Alien reptiles and amphibians: a scientific compendium and analysis, by Fred Kraus [Book Review]
• Individual and demographic responses to simulated elevated prey densities in Brown Treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam
• Canine detection of free-ranging brown treesnakes on Guam
• Boiga Irregularis (Brown Treesnake)
• Modelling detectability of kiore (Rattus exulans) on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands, to inform possible eradication and monitoring efforts
• Modelling detection probabilities to evaluate management and control tools for an invasive species
• The World Congress of herpetology and animal conservation: excerpts from the 6th World Congress
• Invasive reptiles and amphibians: global perspectives and local solutions
• Prey preferences and prey acceptance in juvenile Brown Treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
• Giant constrictors: Biological and management profiles and an establishment risk assessment for nine large species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor
• Evaluation of trap capture in a geographically closed population of brown treesnakes on Guam
• Distribution, density, and biomass of introduced small mammals in the southern Mariana Islands
• Evaluating abundance estimate precision and the assumptions of a count-based index for small mammals
• Spotting cryptic critters in the dark: Headlamps meet the closed population
• Food preferences and food acceptance in juvenile brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
• Funnel trap traits, and how (not) to improve capture rates of small brown treesnakes
• Prey scents and guide ropes as a method to enhance brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) trap capture success
• Post-colonization reversal of selection pressure on dispersal behavior of the Brown Treesnake, Boiga irregularis, on Guam
• Canine team detection of free-ranging radio-telemetered Brown Treesnakes
• Searching for snakes: Agencies join forces to reduce impacts, stop spread of invasive Brown Treesnake
• Can temperature be used as a tool for limiting Brown Treesnake invasion via transportation pathways?
• Coniophanes imperialis (Black-striped snake). Diet
• Response of brown treesnakes to reduction of their rodent prey
• Biology and impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 2. Boiga irregularis, the Brown Tree Snake (Reptilia: Colubridae)
• Size-based trends and management implications of microhabitat utilization by Brown Treesnakes, with an emphasis on juvenile snakes
• Size bias in visual searches and trapping of Brown Treesnakes on Guam
• New developments in snake barrier technology: Fly-ash covered wall offers a feasible alternative for permanent barriers to Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis)
• Climate matching as a tool for predicting potential North American spread of Brown Treesnakes
• Reproductive biology of the brown tree snake, Boiga irregularis (Reptilia: Colubridae), during colonization of Guam and comparison with that in their native range
• The Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team
• Introduced rodent and shrew densities and distributions in the Mariana Islands: implications for Brown Treesnake control and management
• Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis) Fact Sheet for Pacific Island Residents and Travelers
• Effectiveness of methyl bromide as a cargo fumigant for brown treesnakes
• Dispersal of snakes to extralimital islands: incidents of the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) dispersing to islands in ships and aircraft (Chapter 14)
• The feasibility of controlling the brown treesnake in small plots [Chapter 39]
• A state-of-the-art trap for the brown treesnake [Chapter 20]
• An overview of the biology of the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis), a costly introduced pest on Pacific islands [Chapter 2]
• Problem snake management: The Habu and the Brown Tree Snake
• Managing island biotas: Brown treesnake control using barrier technology
• Managing island biotas: Can indigenous species be protected from introduced predators such as the brown treesnake?
• Invasions of the Brown Tree Snake
• Symptoms and circumstances associated with bites by the brown tree snake (Colubridae: Boiga irregularis) on Guam
• Predation by the Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, on Poultry and Other Domesticated Animals in Guam
• Origin and Population Growth of the Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, on Guam
• Risks to infants on Guam from bites of the Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis)
• The brown tree snake, an introduced pest species in the central Pacific Islands