Marking snakes

Abstract

Some groups of reptiles, for example chelonians, have been studied extensively in the field. By comparison the ecology of most ophidians is little known. This is perhaps not surprising because many kinds of snakes are difficult both to locate and to follow in their natural environment. Growing interest in ecosystems and concern for conservation have, however, stimulated research on this group, and several populations of snakes have recently been studied in the field. An important prerequisite has been the need to develop safe, reliable methods of capturing, handling and marking individuals. This chapter reviews recently developed methods of trapping and marking snakes, evaluating in detail the methods used in one particular study on the ecology of the Adder or Viper Vipera berus in southern England.

Dr Ian Spellerberg is a graduate of Canterbury University, New Zealand and La Trobe University, Australia. He worked on birds and mammals in Antarctica for three summers, studied reptile ecology in eastern Australia, then went on to study the temperature regulation of reptiles at the Max-Planck Institute for Behaviour and Physiology in West Germany. He is currently studying the ecology of European reptiles with particular emphasis on conservation methods.

Ian Prestt is a graduate of the University of Liverpool and a Fellow of the Institute of Biology. He held a number of posts in research and conservation in the Nature Conservancy, and was for a time Principal Scientific Officer in the Toxic Chemical and Wildlife Research Team at Monks Wood Experimental Station. In 1971 he became Deputy Director of the Central Unit on Environmental Pollution, and in 1974 Deputy Director of the Nature Conservancy. He is currently Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.