ABSTRACT
Recent years have seen a substantial increase in the number of snake invasions. Snakes represent a particularly alarming emerging threat as damaging, but poorly understood, invasive predators (Kraus 2009). The most well-studied snake invasion is that of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) in Guam (see Chapter 7). Accidental introduction of brown tree snakes to Guam shortly after World War II resulted in extirpation of over 50% of the island's native breeding birds and several lizards (Savidge 1987), with cascading effects on invertebrate communities and vegetation dynamics (Mortensen et al. 2008; Caves et al. 2013). Several other snake invaders have been introduced elsewhere, most as a result of the reptile pet trade. Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus), northern African pythons (Python sebae), and boa constrictors (Boa constrictor) are now locally established in Florida (Snow et al. 2007). Boa constrictors are also established on the islands of Cozumel, Aruba, and Puerto Rico (Martínez-Morales and Cuaron 1999; Rogers et al. 2012; Romero et al. 2009). Finally, three species of water snakes (Nerodia) are established in California (Rose and Todd 2014), and most recently, California kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula) on the Canary Islands (R. Reed, pers. comm.).
