#1 reason I will not visit Thailand!

[Bengalzona]

(05-28-2016, 01:58 PM)jason Wrote: Yeah. These came from Guam, and were causing all sorts of problems. I guess they are aggressive as far as snakes go too.

It is the Brown Tree Snake. The Brown Tree Snake is not indigenous to either Guam or Hawaii, but has wandered to both places and is wreaking havoc on the native species. It is native to Australia and Papua New Guinea.

In Guam, where the snake first appeared in the 1950's (presumably it stowed away while hunting mice on ships), it is estimated that there are 20 Brown Tree Snakes per acre on average. It has decimated native bird populations causing 12 to go extinct. The birds are important to Guam as they keep the insect populations in check. The U.S. government now has a program where they airlift mice with "poison packs" (acetaminophen) to try and control the snake population there.

The introduction to Hawaii is more recent. Hawaii has laws against bringing snakes to the island. But somehow, these snakes have made their way there too.

Like most tree snakes, the Brown Tree Snake is venomous, highly agile and pretty aggressive (for a snake, that is). There is no doubt that one of these snakes could work their way up a toilet quite easily. It's venom fangs are located in the rear of its mouth, so it would be very hard for them to envenom a human.