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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Introduced snake found in Galapagos highlands | Introduced snake found in Galapagos highlands |
| (1 day later) | |
| Galapagos | Galapagos |
| residents were surprised on Sunday, when their car ran over an introduced snake | residents were surprised on Sunday, when their car ran over an introduced snake |
| on the road that runs across the central island of Santa Cruz. | on the road that runs across the central island of Santa Cruz. |
| Thankfully, they | Thankfully, they |
| had the presence of mind to collect the red-and-black striped reptile and hand | had the presence of mind to collect the red-and-black striped reptile and hand |
| it in to staff at the Galapagos National Park (GNP). Herpetologists at the | it in to staff at the Galapagos National Park (GNP). Herpetologists at the |
| Charles Darwin Foundation identified it as a false coral snake. There are four terrestrial snakes | Charles Darwin Foundation identified it as a false coral snake. There are four terrestrial snakes |
| known to occur in Galapagos. This is not one of them. | known to occur in Galapagos. This is not one of them. |
| The snake was | The snake was |
| found near the highland town of Santa Rosa, about half way along the Santa Cruz | found near the highland town of Santa Rosa, about half way along the Santa Cruz |
| highway that connects the airport (on the nearby island of Baltra) to the main | highway that connects the airport (on the nearby island of Baltra) to the main |
| town of Puerto Ayora. The GNP and the agency for biosecurity in Galapagos (ABG) | town of Puerto Ayora. The GNP and the agency for biosecurity in Galapagos (ABG) |
| are scouring the area, according to a press | are scouring the area, according to a press |
| release issued by Ecuador’s Ministry of the Environment. This appears to be | release issued by Ecuador’s Ministry of the Environment. This appears to be |
| the first recorded case of a snake being introduced to the islands. | the first recorded case of a snake being introduced to the islands. |
| “Monitoring | “Monitoring |
| includes forming a circle of a mile around the area in which it is found to | includes forming a circle of a mile around the area in which it is found to |
| determine the possible presence of more specimens in the field and prevent | determine the possible presence of more specimens in the field and prevent |
| movement into protected areas,” says Danny Rueda, director of ecosystem | movement into protected areas,” says Danny Rueda, director of ecosystem |
| management at the Galapagos National Park. The ABG, meanwhile, has carried out | management at the Galapagos National Park. The ABG, meanwhile, has carried out |
| a necropsy on the offending specimen. It was a male and its stomach was empty. | a necropsy on the offending specimen. It was a male and its stomach was empty. |
| When I tweeted the | When I tweeted the |
| news this morning, Stephen J. | news this morning, Stephen J. |
| Henstridge tweeted back with a possible identification of the species. | Henstridge tweeted back with a possible identification of the species. |
| @WayOfThePanda Hmm, my Spanish is not so good, but the photo appears to be of a (non-venomous) Scarlet King Snake. Still not good news | @WayOfThePanda Hmm, my Spanish is not so good, but the photo appears to be of a (non-venomous) Scarlet King Snake. Still not good news |
| It’s certainly a candidate. But I double-checked with Colin McCarthy, former collections manager of reptiles, amphibians and fish at the Natural History Museum, and he wasn’t so sure. | It’s certainly a candidate. But I double-checked with Colin McCarthy, former collections manager of reptiles, amphibians and fish at the Natural History Museum, and he wasn’t so sure. |
| @WayOfThePanda @HenstridgeSJ @edyong209 Can't be certain - likely to be one of the Erythrolamprus species. Think photo possibly misleading | @WayOfThePanda @HenstridgeSJ @edyong209 Can't be certain - likely to be one of the Erythrolamprus species. Think photo possibly misleading |
| The identification, when it comes, will help to pin down how it might have come to Galapagos. The scarlet kingsnake, for instance, is native to the eastern United States and is a common pet. It is rather depressing that someone thought it was OK to bring a snake into Galapagos, for that’s probably what happened. The upside is that the people who hit the reptile appear to have realised | |
| it was unusual and taken it to the authorities. If Galapagos wants to retain | it was unusual and taken it to the authorities. If Galapagos wants to retain |
| its relatively pristine status (it is still the best-preserved tropical | its relatively pristine status (it is still the best-preserved tropical |
| archipelago in the world), it is crucial that its residents are involved like | archipelago in the world), it is crucial that its residents are involved like |
| this. | this. |
| UPDATE 26 | |
| February 2014 09:48 GMT | |
| After a lot of | |
| interest in this snake, it appears we have an identification. Diego Cisneros-Heredia, a reptile specialist at the | |
| Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador who has been working with those | |
| in Galapagos on an ID, says it is an Ecuadorian milk snake (Lampropeltis | |
| triangulum micropholis) native to mainland Ecuador. A comment below (@Scott Solar) says the same, as does Jeff | |
| Barringer, founder of kingsnake.com, who contacted me by email. “It has prompted quite a discussion among kingsnake experts,” he says. | |
| Both @Scott | |
| Solar and Barringer raise an interesting question. What if this snake is not | |
| introduced at all? Let’s think about this. | |
| One possibility is that it belongs to a previously unknown | |
| native population that has been around in Galapagos for ages. But we are | |
| talking about Santa Cruz here, an island with a significant human population | |
| (of around 15,000) and one that has been intensively studied over the years. I | |
| find it unlikely in the extreme that all those park rangers and scientists would | |
| have missed a species with such conspicuous markings. If the genetic analysis | |
| of this specimen shows no sign of divergence from the mainland population then | |
| we can rule out this possibility. | |
| There is an alternative. Even if the genetic evidence shows that the snake is virtually identical to the milk snake on the mainland, it could still be a example of a recent, natural colonisation of the islands. Snakes, after all, have reached Galapagos under their own steam at least | |
| once before (giving rise to the four established species that scientists | |
| recognise). If this were the case, it would need protection not eradication. Unfortunately there is no way to distinguish | |
| between a recent colonisation event and a human-mediated introduction (unless | |
| of course someone comes forward to admit culpability). Tricky. | |
| @Scott Solar | |
| makes a good point that we are often too quick to jump on the “invasive species” bandwagon without considering the alternatives. But I’m afraid that the probability of introduction in a place like Galapagos will always far outweigh the improbability of natural colonisation. If it comes to a judgement call, the kingsnake will lose. |