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brown tree snake
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by snakelyn on April 26, 2006
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My friend is going to live for a couple of years in Guam. They may have a problem with brown tree snakes. Are they dangerous to people?
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RE: brown tree snake
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by Cro on April 26, 2006
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Lyn: The Brown Tree Snake is not considered to be dangerous to Adults. It does have a mild venom that can cause some swelling and pain from a bite. There are no recorded fatalitys.
Take a look at this link for more information:
http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/Snake.html
Hope this helps. JohnZ
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RE: brown tree snake
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by Buzztail1 on April 26, 2006
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Lyn,
There is still a lot of research being conducted on the Brown Tree Snake on Guam.
You could probably find out more than you ever wanted to know by Googling "Brown Tree Snake".
Here are a couple of pertinent links:
http://www.fort.usgs.gov/resources/fact_sheets/btsnake/btree.asp
which says in part:
"The brown treesnake is a mildly venomous species that will also constrict resisting prey. The venom flows down teeth located in the back of the snake's mouth. Brown treesnakes are not known to be fatal to humans, but special precautions should be taken to keep snakes away from infants and small children. Bites should be carefully cleaned, the person bitten should be monitored closely, and if any unusual symptoms appear, medical attention should be sought."
The USDA pdf pamphlet is an excellent resource for people who move to Guam which includes a section on what to do if you find a snake in your home:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/btsbro.pdf
I was recently on Guam and spoke to residents who had been there for 5 years and had never seen a single snake.
Let me know if you need anything else about them.
Karl H. Betz
Buzztail1@hotmail.com
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RE: brown tree snake
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by redbird on April 26, 2006
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One additional tidbit - I remember a documentary report some years ago that suggested the snake has an irascible nature and has on occasion bitten people as they slept (perhaps mildly provoked by some small movement of the sleeper). In these cases, the sleeper was awakened by a painful burning sensation at the bite location and immediately became aware of the snakes presence nearby. It was also stated that small children, the elderly, and those with compromising health concerns should seek medical attention immediately just to be "on the safe side."
Mike
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RE: brown tree snake
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by paleoherp on April 26, 2006
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Some of the best info that i have found on Boiga irregularis through researching them my self is at this address:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed
Hope this helps
Cheers
shaun
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RE: brown tree snake
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by BGF on April 26, 2006
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One of the most common problems concerning colubrid venoms is that people confuse small quantity produced and lower efficacy of delivery with the venom being mild. The Boiga venoms are a great example. Our research (http://www.venomdoc.com/publications.html) shows that the venom is actually extremely neurotoxic. On par with highly toxic elapids such as death adders. However, the potential human medical implications are low due to the fact that the snakes produce enough and are able to inject enough to knock around small prey items but not greatly affect a 50 kilo human.
Cheers
Bryan
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