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Necropsy on Rota snake shows empty stomach
The necropsy results are in for the brown tree snake found on Rota in September, with nothing indicative found in its stomach, according to Adam Knox, U.S. Geological Survey’s Rapid Response Team coordinator.
“Nothing was found in the snake’s stomach during necropsy,” he said. “Some tissue samples were taken after checking the stomach and the snake was then preserved.”
He said the snake’s remains have been shipped to a USGS laboratory in the U.S. mainland for further analysis.
It was earlier suggested by U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Sylvan Igisimor, coordinator and biologist of the CNMI Brown Treesnake Program, that the snake’s stomach contents could indicate whether it was a stray snake from a vessel or from a local population on Rota.
“[The stomach contents may] give us an a better idea of how old the snake is and what it has been eating,” he said earlier, noting that a snake with an empty stomach may indicate it came from a vessel whereas a snake that showed it had been eating mammals or lizards from Rota would suggest otherwise.
Last week concluded the setup phase of the BTS response effort, with 246 traps set strategically at Rota’s seaport and its surrounding areas as well as the airport there.
Currently, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS, and the CNMI’s Division of Fish and Wildlife are rotating personnel on island, with monitoring of traps and mice provided by USGS occurring during the day and searches from 6pm to 10pm.
Knox, whose team is located in Guam, earlier said that the large response was necessary to prevent a repeat of the “ecological disaster” the brown tree snake has caused in Guam.
