Invasive snakes ‘hitchhiking’ on planes (Brown Tree Snakes) - via Herp Digest

September 26, 2018, University of Queensland, UQ News

A team of international scientists has discovered why brown tree snakes have become one of the most successful invasive species.

The research team, led by University of Queensland scientists, has been studying why a type of cat-eyed snake has been so effective at devastating native bird populations on the island of Guam.

Associate Professor Bryan Fry from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences said the takeover began when the brown tree snake was introduced on the Pacific island during World War II.

“The snake hitchhiked on troop carriers from the Australian region and has since driven multiple native bird species into extinction, with only three species now found on the island,” he said.

“The snakes’ impact was so devastating, it now ranks among the worst pests of all time.”

The team, including UQ PhD students Daniel Dashevsky and Jordan Debono as well as researchers from Florida State University, investigated the species’ toxin, which is particularly venomous to birds.

“The brown tree snake’s venom, while not dangerous to humans, is 100 times more toxic to birds than to mammals,” Dr Fry said.

“It contains a toxin that’s made up of two smaller toxins joined together, a feature that was believed to be unique to brown tree snakes.

“Daniel and Jordan’s research has revealed that this is not the case and that any cat-eyed snakes belonging to the genus Boiga would have caused similar devastation.

"It’s just that this particular species was transported to Guam by accident.”

Cat-eyed snakes evolved in Africa and rapidly spread across the Indian subcontinent, throughout South-East Asia and to Australia, with the team finding the snake’s toxin type was responsible for its explosive natural spread.

“For the last 80 years or so, for the brown tree snake at least, this biological advantage has been aided by the introduction of air travel,” Dr Fry said.

“The United States government is still flying military planes from Guam to Hawaii and the snakes continue to hitchhike.

“They’re regularly intercepted in the Hawaii airports, so if these direct flights are allowed to continue, it’s only a matter of time until they get to Hawaii and wipe out the birds like they did on Guam.

“Now we know more about the snake’s basic biology, we can help in developing a smart approach to preventing and managing this and other invasive species.”

The study has been published in the Journal of Molecular Evolution (DOI: 10.1007/s00239-018-9864-6).

Thousands of Dead Mice Parachuted Into Guam

Alyssa Danigelis, Discovery News | December 05, 2013 09:28am ET

Like a Disney movie gone horribly wrong, the U.S. Department of Agriculture just airdropped 2,000 mice attached to tiny cardboard parachutes into Guam. The mice are dead and contain a key ingredient: painkillers. The objective: bring down invasive brown tree snakes that have all but taken over.

Brown tree snakes have been a scourge of the U.S. territory since arriving there during the 1940s to 1950s, probably on cargo ships. They snack on native birds and lizards, and have caused several species to go extinct. They also mess with electric substations, triggering annual power outages, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Snake Island To Be 'Bombed' With Poison Mice

Guam will be laced with poison mice carcasses to kill snakes that have been biting islanders and knocking out power lines.

The US is to bomb the tiny territory of Guam with dead mice laced with painkiller in an attempt to kill off the brown tree snakes that have taken over the island.

The reptiles, which can grow to be more than 10ft (3m), have caused misery on the territory for 60 years, since they were unwittingly introduced by US military ships after World War Two.

Now there are serious fears they could slither on to planes at the US military base and hitch a lift to Hawaii, where they would decimate the island's wildlife.

As a result, US government scientists are to drop the poison mice near Guam's sprawling Andersen Air Force Base, which is surrounded by heavy foliage and could offer the snakes a potential ticket off the island.

Scientists calculate there may be two million of the reptiles on Guam, killing wildlife, biting residents and even knocking out electricity by slithering on to power lines.

Continued:  http://news.sky.com/story/1055575/snake-island-to-be-bombed-with-poison-mice