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The North American Brown Tree Snake Control Team (NABTSCT) is a collaborative effort between federal agencies, state agencies, and private organizations to prevent the Brown Tree Snake from entering the United States.
Species Spotlight
Gordon Rodda, USGS.
Brown tree snake Boiga irregularis
Description:A slender snake with large eyes with vertical pupils and a broad head (much wider than the neck). It is light brownish to yellowish olive, and occasionally a shade of greenish brown; black speckling may be present. Reaches a length of 3 m but is typically only 1-2 m long.
Distribution:Native to eastern Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, as well as the northern and eastern coasts of Australia. Accidentally introduced to Guam in the 1950s by cargo ships. It has been sighted, but is not known to be established in Hawaii, Texas, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands in Micronesia, other small islands in the southeast Pacific Ocean, and Diego Garcia Atoll in the Indian Ocean.
Unlike many other species, invasive snakes are a fairly new phenomenon. Undoubtedly the brown tree snake is the most notorious invasive snake. It gained access to the island of Guam during WW II on military aircraft and has wreaked havoc on the native fauna there, resulting in extinctions of several bird and lizard species.
The most recent source of introductions is released pets. Due to the success of captive breeding of snakes, enthusiasts can now buy many species inexpensively. Often buyers have no idea that the cute baby python they buy will turn into a very large snake that is difficult to house and expensive to feed. Unfortunately many of these owners release their unwanted animals into the wild. Burmese pythons are now well established and breeding in South Florida.
Description:Burmese pythons are light colored with many dark brown blotches bordered in black down the back. Burmese pythons are commonly sold in the exotic pet trade. The captive-bred albino form is white with patterns in butterscotch yellow and burnt orange. Typically grows 18-33 ft. in length and weighs 200-300 lbs. They are constrictors.
Habitat:It lives in grasslands, swamps, marshes, rocky foothills, woodlands, jungles and river valleys, and requires a permanent water source.
Distribution:Found throughout southeast Asia including Myanmar (formerly called Burma, their namesake), Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia.
Status:This species is now fairly commonly found in the Everglades as a result of pet releases and there is evidence that they are reproducing there on their own. To combat this problem, the state of Florida recently enacted legislation that will require pet owners to register and microchip their snakes, in order to deter such releases.
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