Brown+Tree+Snake

=General Information:= Scientific Name: Bioga Irregularis

Appearance: It has cat like pupils or vertical pupils, its fangs go the face backwars, large head compared to its body, bands of brown or orange on its body. The color of the bands vary depending where it is. It does have venom but the venom it is not life threatening to adults.

Size: Its usual size is 3 to 6 feet but sometimes they grow longer than their average length. One has been found and it was 10 feet in length, almost double the average size. =Detailed Description=

Life Cycle / Reproduction information - Females can lay about 4 to 12 eggs. Usually she lays them in cooler places such as inside a log, or in a cave. A female can have eggs up to twice a year but it varies depending on time.

Diet - Brown Tree Snakes eat lizards, birds, bird eggs, bird chicks, rats, frogs and anything small. They even become cannibals and eat other snakes.

Why is the organism so successful?
A brown tree snake is successful because of its diet. Since it can eat a variety of things that can be found almost everywhere its able to sustain itself in a different climate. Also in some locations where it can be accidently transported to there would be a lack or predators, lowering the limiting factors for a brown tree snake.

=Habitat and Distribution= A brown tree snakes habitat can be a forest, grasslands, and places that have some trees. The snakes usually like the forests because of the trees. They spend most of their time on the trees. Like other snakes, a brown tree snake can also be found in a cave, hidden underneath logs, and hidden underneath rocks.

Where does this organism live?
The brown tree snake is native to northern australia, papau new guina and some islands east of indonesia.

Where has this organism spread to?
The brown tree snake has been accidently introduced to Guam. Although there may have been sightings in hawaii and southern texas it is not official whether it has invaded main land USA or hawaii.

=Impacts= Guam's bird population has been devasted thanks to the brown tree snake. It has killed 9 out of 11 species of native birds on guam and the other 2 species only have 400 hundred in their population number. The brown tree snake has been eating the birds and eating their eggs and babies preventing the birds from reproducing and recover their numbers. They also create power outages because they climb on electrical poles.

In Hawaii, there have been sightings but there is no proof of whether the brown tree snake has invaded. Hawaii is worried because there are no native predators for the snakes if they are to populate the land. Hawaiins are afraid that the same affects that the brown tree snake has had in Papau New Guina would also happen to Hawaii. =History= The brown tree snake was accidently introduced in Guam during WWII. It was brought into Guam as a stowaway on cargo ship or a plane delivering cargo to Guam no one is exactly sure. =Control Meastures= The people of Guam, or considering introducing a natural predator of the snake to reduce their numbers or using a killer gas. The killer gas is being debated because some people argue on how it will the environment.

References http://www.fort.usgs.gov/resources/education/bts/bioeco/btsnake.asp http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fsheet_faq_notice/fs_wsbtsnake.html http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/bts.shtml http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C16%2529brown%2Btree%2Bsnake%2524&contentSet=IAC-Documents&sort=DateDescend&tabID=T003&sgCurrentPosition=0&subjectAction=DISPLAY_SUBJECTS&prodId=SRC-1&searchId=R1&currentPosition=2&userGroupName=stro53037&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C16%29brown+tree+snake%24&inPS=true&searchType=BasicSearchForm&displaySubject=&docId=A62346355&docType=IAC