Recklessly: Brown Tree Snakes Military

Brown Tree Snakes Military

Its other item of notoriety is the fact it happens to be dripping with brown tree snakes boiga irregularis that appeared roughly around the time of the islands liberation most likely after hitching a ride with us military equipment from the neighbouring papua new guinea. Control of the brown tree snake boiga irregularis on guam is a priority for the department of defense.

Government Earmarks 863k To Eliminate Brown Tree Snakes In Guam

Photo by gordon rodda.

Brown tree snakes military. A wildlife specialist holding a brown tree snake boiga irregularis that was captured on a military base in guam as part of a program to prevent the species from spreading to hawaii. For some reason the snakes are almost uniquely sensitive to acetaminophen the active ingredient in the ubiquitous over the counter painkiller. Diane vice wildlife supervisor at guam department of agriculture sees a day when guam is free of brown tree snakes.

Control of the brown tree snake bts aug 2008 pdf 60 kb dod. Defense technical information center. Most of guams native birds were defenseless against the nocturnal tree based predators.

Aiming to eradicate brown tree snakes. After the species was accidentally introduced to guam in the mid 20th century it colonized the island and preyed relentlessly on native species causing the decline local elimination or extinction of several species of birds fruit bats and lizards. Brown tree snakes are generally a few feet 1 meter long but can grow to be more than 10 feet 3 meters in length.

Sometime in the years right after wwii as military planes were flying in and out of guam a species called the brown tree snake hitched a ride from the south pacific. Report to the congress. Brown tree snake the cat eyes appearance is a distinguishing characteristic.

There really is no other place in the world with a snake problem like guam. The brown tree snake also known as the brown catsnake is an arboreal rear fanged colubrid snake native to eastern and northern coastal australia eastern indonesia papua new guinea and many islands in northwestern melanesia. This area had large military bases in world war ii.

It is also one of the very few colubrids found in australia where elapids are more common. This snake is infamous for being an invasive species responsible for extirpating the majority of the native bird population in guam. But brown tree snakes have an achilles heel.

If you can get a tree snake to eat just 80 milligrams you can kill it. The brown treesnake boiga irregularis is a native of australia papua new guinea and the solomon islands. Interdiction and control efforts to date have been significant and with the massive ongoing realignment of military personnel and infrastructure across the pacific including a significant build up on guam concerns are heightened even more about the potential to spread the brown tree snake to other pacific islands.

Doi united states geological survey. Based on its coloration and scale patterns the snakes on guam are most similar to those of the admiralty island group of northern papua new guinea.

Akouala On Guam The Us Military Dropped On The Island Of A