What do you do if you find a brown tree snake?

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Report any sightings to Mr. Jim Stanford, the Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team Coordinator for the United States Geological Survey. The 24-hr hot line is 671-777-HISS (4477).

Where do you find brown tree snakes?

The brown tree snake is found in woodlands, rainforests and open rocky outcrops. It often takes shelter in hollow trees, caves and in rock crevices. It occurs over much of coastal eastern and northern Australia from the Sydney area to the Kimberley’s in Western Australia.

How do I identify a brown tree snake?

Identification: The Brown Tree Snake has a large head with eyes that are large and protruding with vertical pupils. The head is distinct from the narrow neck. They are brown above with ragged-edged, darker cross bands on the back and sides (eastern Australia).

Are there any laws about the brown tree snake?

The Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act of 2004 provides for the control and eradication of the brown tree snake on the island of Guam and the prevention of the introduction of the brown tree snake to other areas of the United States.

Are brown tree snakes aggressive?

Brown tree snake, (Boiga irregularis), also called brown catsnake or culepla, slender, mildly venomous, primarily arboreal snake of family Colubridae that is considered to be one of the most aggressive invasive species in the world.

Why are brown tree snakes a problem?

When the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) was accidentally introduced to Guam it caused the local extinction of most of the island’s native bird and lizard species. It also caused “cascading” ecological effects by removing native pollinators, causing the subsequent decline of native plant species.

How poisonous is a brown tree snake?

Brown treesnakes are mildly venomous. While the snakes are not considered dangerous to an adult human and no known deaths have occurred, young children can have reactions to tree snake bites.

What eats a brown tree snake?

The brown tree snake’s predators are not well documented. Some studies report that brown tree snakes are preyed upon by monitor lizards and feral pigs and cats, and others have shown that the species is also vulnerable to red-bellied black snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus) and cane toads (Bufo marinus).

How do you get rid of brown tree snakes?

Efforts to remove brown tree snakes from Guam rely on two strategies: 1) live-trapping and 2) aerial delivery of toxic bait (dead acetomephine-laced neo-natal mice). Aerial treatment of the snakes is the only practical option for landscape-scale suppression in Guam’s forested habitats.

What eats the brown tree snake?

Where do brown tree snakes live in Australia?

Brown tree snakes live in northern, eastern and southern Australia (up to the Sydney area). It is also found in Papua New Guinea and north western Melanesia. This snake is infamous for being an invasive species responsible for devastating the majority of the native bird population in Guam.

How is the brown tree snake being controlled?

Controls for the brown tree snake include fumigation of cargo with methyl bromide as well as the use of toxicants, baits, and traps. Dog teams are being used currently in Honolulu for snake detection. The costs of brown tree snake detection and control are estimated at $2.5 million per year. – U.S. Congress.

Is the brown tree snake an invasive species?

Researchers from Dickinson College and the U.S. Geological Survey collaborated on field research to understand the ability of human searchers to detect the invasive brown treesnake (BTS) on the island of Guam.

What kind of birds do brown tree snakes eat?

The indigenous birds of Guam evolved in a snake-free habitat and consequently lack the protective behavior or barriers of other birds, making them easy prey for the brown tree snake. Preying on eggs and birds alike, the snake has eliminated 9 of the 11 native land bird species in Guam and many of the non-native species.