Guam snake
Posted by michelle sayre on August 27, 2005
Q: I've seen and had encounters with the so called brown tree snake of Guam. This is an excellant climber and loves to enter buildings. I've heard that it is very heat sensitive and would die if it tried to cross the road in the middle of a sunny day. My question is where does this snake really come from?
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Guam
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: The Brown Tree Snake is native to many areas of the South Pacific (Solomon Islands, New Guinea and northern Australia among other areas) and is believed to have been accidentally brought to Guam in cargo ships during World War II.
Since snakes are ectotherms (cold-blooded) they can heat up quickly in the sun and therefore avoid direct sun or hot substrates during the heat of the day. These snakes can certainly crawl across a hot road but they wouldn't be able to stay on it for long. Hope this helps.
John Wiessinger ( August 29, 2005)