Invasive Species We Study: Brown Treesnake Active
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.
Brown Treesnake Research
Recent data (2020-2022) related to USGS brown treesnake research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS brown treesnake data is available from the button below.
Brown Treesnake Mortality Habitat Management Unit Guam 2019
Arena trial breach attempts and morphometric data of brown treesnakes and rats, Guam, 2019-2020
Visual Surveys Rapid Response Saipan 2016
Airsoft electric gun evaluation on Brown Treesnakes, Guam, 2016
Data associated with toxicant applications for brown treesnake control
Failed Brown Treesnake bait cartridges from an aerially application in Guam, 2018
Brown Treesnake counts during visual encounter surveys at three walking paces, Guam 2016
Brown Treesnake visual survey and radiotelemetry data, Guam 2015
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS brown treesnake research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS brown treesnake publications is available from the button below.
Evaluating lethal toxicant doses for the largest individuals of an invasive vertebrate predator with indeterminate growth
Understanding metrics of stress in the context of invasion history: The case of the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis)
Validating deployment of aerially delivered toxic bait cartridges for control of invasive brown treesnakes
Behavior, size, and body condition predict susceptibility to management and reflect post-treatment frequency shifts in an invasive snake
Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities
- Overview
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.
Brown Treesnake Research - Data
Recent data (2020-2022) related to USGS brown treesnake research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS brown treesnake data is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 20Brown Treesnake Mortality Habitat Management Unit Guam 2019
The dataset contains 16 columns of data collected on invasive Brown Treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) at a study site known as the Habitat Management Unit (HMU) in northern Guam. Snakes were fitted with radio-transmitters and teams of 2-4 biologist listened for signals from transmitters every seven days to determine if snakes were alive or dead. Survival data was then modeled in Program MARK to assesArena trial breach attempts and morphometric data of brown treesnakes and rats, Guam, 2019-2020
There are two datasets included in this entry. The "morph" dataset contains 6 columns of data on brown treesnakes and rats collected prior to and during arena trials for trialing fencing material for multispecies barrier construction. The "trials" dataset includes 25 columns of brown treesnake and rat data collected prior to, during, and after arena trials. There are four data files associated witVisual Surveys Rapid Response Saipan 2016
Nocturnal visual encounter survey data conducted by 29 searchers over 17 transects obtained during a Brown Treesnake rapid response deployment to island of Saipan in 2016. Surveys took place in the vicinity of the Saipan airport and Dandan village (ca. 15.127°N, 145.735°E) from 06 January to 13 March 2016, 6-7 nights/week but with a break in surveying from 26 January through 21 February. During BrAirsoft electric gun evaluation on Brown Treesnakes, Guam, 2016
The data set consists of 2 spreadsheets from Airsoft Electric Gun (AEG) trials on brown treesnakes. AEG snake wound data contains AEG results from guns equipped with 0.39 gram ammunition (plastic pellets ) that were fired at dead and live snakes from distances of 4, 8, and 12 m to measure tissue-penetration depth, and noted if (a) the pellet was lodged inside the peritoneal cavity, (b) the pelletData associated with toxicant applications for brown treesnake control
This file describes three datasets used to evaluate individual traits in brown treesnakes and how they affect susceptibility to toxicant applications. This file references three data sets that include 'Guam GROUND', SURVTOX', and 'HMU NWFN TRT.' Guam GROUND reference to snakes encountered during visual surveys on Guam and whether they were located on the ground or arboreal. SURVTOX refers to a knoFailed Brown Treesnake bait cartridges from an aerially application in Guam, 2018
The dataset contains 6 columns of data collected during line transect surveys (Line) that evaluated bait cartridge efficacy for Brown Treesnake control on Guam. Two-person teams recorded all bait cartridges observed while walking the center line of transects in the Habitat Management Unit (HMU). Perpendicular distance (DIST (m)) to cartridges from center line was measured to the nearest 0.005 meteBrown Treesnake counts during visual encounter surveys at three walking paces, Guam 2016
We evaluated three walking paces to estimate (1) how snake detection rate per unit distance changes with increasing pace, and (2) how total number of snakes found by the end of a night of surveying varies with pace when the amount of surveying time per night is held constant. For a ?fast? pace we searched the 220 meter-long transect in 10 minutes, corresponding to a walking pace of 1.32 km/h, wherBrown Treesnake visual survey and radiotelemetry data, Guam 2015
The dataset consists of two spreadsheets that contain brown treesnake data (location, perch taxa, perch height, time of detection, whether visible or not, and size of snake) collected during both visual surveys and radio telemetry within a 55-ha enclosure on Guam. - Publications
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS brown treesnake research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS brown treesnake publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 17Evaluating lethal toxicant doses for the largest individuals of an invasive vertebrate predator with indeterminate growth
The brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) was accidentally introduced to Guam and caused severe ecological and economic damages. Acetaminophen is an effective, low-risk oral toxicant for invasive brown treesnakes, and an automated aerial delivery system (ADS) has been developed for landscape-scale toxic bait distribution. A fixed dose of 80 mg of acetaminophen within a tablet inserted into a dead neAuthorsShane R. Siers, Scott Michael Goetz, Rachel M. Volsteadt, Melia G. NafusUnderstanding metrics of stress in the context of invasion history: The case of the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis)
Invasive species can exert rapid depletion of resources after introduction and, in turn, affect their own population density. Additionally, management actions can have direct and indirect effects on demography. Physiological variables can predict demographic change but are often restricted to snapshots-in-time and delayed confirmation of changes in population density reduces their utility. To evalAuthorsN Claunch, I. Moore, H Waye, L Schoenle, S Oakey, Robert Reed, Christina RomagosaValidating deployment of aerially delivered toxic bait cartridges for control of invasive brown treesnakes
Aerial application of management tools can provide a cost‐effective means to conserve or control wildlife populations at the landscape scale. Large spatial scales, however, present difficulties when assessing in situ reliability and integrity of the devices themselves. We demonstrate application of a distance‐sampling density estimation approach to assess the performance of a newly developed toxicAuthorsScott Michael Goetz, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Shane S SiersBehavior, size, and body condition predict susceptibility to management and reflect post-treatment frequency shifts in an invasive snake
Foraging behavior can have population-level effects that are of interest for wildlife management. For invasive species, foraging behavior has been tied to establishment ability and rate of spread and is generally of import in understanding invasion biology. A major method for controlling invasive vertebrates is using food-based baits as attractants. Tool efficacy is therefore partially driven by iAuthorsMelia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, S. M. Boback, SR Siers, Robert ReedUse of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities
Transect surveys are frequently used to estimate distribution and abundance of species across a landscape, yet a proportion of individuals present will be missed because either they were out of view and unavailable for detection or they were available but not detected because the surveyors missed them. These situations lead to availability and perception bias, respectively, and can result in misleAuthorsSM Boback, Melia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Robert Reed