Invasive Snakes

USGS leads federal research to control the highly invasive Burmese python ( Python bivittatus), which has become firmly established across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem and poses a serious threat to native wildlife. Capable of reaching over 17 feet long, this massive constrictor is believed to be a key factor in the sharp decline of mammal populations in the region. For over a decade...

New terrestrial environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling techniques are sensitive tools for early detection of the highly invasive brown treesnakes (BTS). In a new collaborative research effort involving four USGS science centers, scientists have initiated the development of an innovative point-of-use (POU) assay for BTS. POU assays are tests that can be run in the field with minimal equipment and no...

WARC researchers evaluated whether outreach campaigns targeting pet owners are effectively reaching their desired audiences, namely pet owners who might unintentionally or purposefully release their pet into the wild.

Researchers will evaluate the potential of aquatic species to invade the Northeast U.S. Following the identification of appropriate target species by regional stakeholders, researchers will gather data from the NAS database and develop models to determine habitat suitability for each species.

USGS researchers will track juvenile Burmese python within Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY) and collect data on snake growth, habitat use, and causes of mortality. Known-fate models will be used to estimate survival and better understand factors that influence survival.

Wetland and Aquatic Research Center and Fort Collins Science Center are coordinating a long-term, landscape-scale Burmese python research strategy for South Florida.

Researchers will determine movement rates and habitat-use patterns of pythons across the South Florida landscape by conducting a telemetry study tracking pythons simultaneously in several locations

Researchers plotted locations of radio-tagged pythons to create a habitat suitability model.

The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) program has developed a new tool, the NAS Alert Risk Mapper (ARM), to characterize waterbodies in the conterminous U.S. and Hawaii at potential risk of invasion from a new nonindigenous species sighting.

Detecting invasive species at low densities or prior to population establishment is critical for successful control and eradication. For example, Burmese pythons occupy thousands of square kilometers of mostly inaccessible habitats.

The establishment and proliferation of exotic plants and animals can interfere with native ecological processes and can cause severe stress to sensitive ecosystems.

Traditional approaches to locating Burmese pythons - including visual searches and trapping - have resulted in low detection. Environmental DNA - or eDNA - is increasingly being used to detect the presence of non-native species, particularly when traditional methods may not be adequate.