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Trapping the arboreal snake Boiga irregularis

In: Amphibia-Reptilia
Authors:
Gordon H. Rodda Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Biological Sciences East Room 210, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

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Renee J. Rondeau Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Biological Sciences East Room 210, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

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Thomas H. Fritts U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20560, USA

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O. Eugene Maughan Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Biological Sciences East Room 210, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

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Online Publication Date:
01 Jan 1992
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Abstract

The snake Boiga irregularis, an exotic on Guam, has eliminated the majority of the native vertebrates there. We tested traps designed to control this arboreal snake during three periods of 20-41 days in 1988 and 1989. The relative trapping successes with different baits and trap configurations indicated that this snake will not readily push through a visually obstructed entrance. However, under some conditions, 80% of the snakes escaped from traps lacking a physical blockage at the entrance. Live bait was more successful than odoriferous bait alone, and odoriferous guide ropes that led to trap entrances did not enhance capture rates. These findings corroborate laboratory experiments indicating an unusually strong dependence on visual cues in this highly successful nocturnal predator.

Title:
Trapping the arboreal snake Boiga irregularis
Article Type:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/156853892X00229
Language:
English
Pages:
47–56
In:
Amphibia-Reptilia
In:
Volume 13: Issue 1
Publisher:
Brill
E-ISSN:
1568-5381
Print ISSN:
0173-5373
Subjects:
Biology & Environmental Sciences, Biology

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