This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The broad-headed snake (Hoplocephalus bungaroides), one of Australia's most endangered snakes, has been given a lifeline, with at least four of six captive-bred juveniles surviving the critical first few months after their release into the wild. Professor Jonathan Webb, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), is leading the rewilding program in partnership with conservation organization Aussie Ark and the traditional owners of the Shoalhaven region.
"The reintroduction of the broad-headed snake is a world first, and so far, the results are really encouraging. This pilot study will yield important information, which will help guide future reintroductions of this iconic species," Webb said. "Reintroducing any threatened species is challenging, especially when they're captive bred.
When the juvenile snakes are released, they risk getting eaten by either native predators, like kookaburras and brown snakes, or invasive predators such as cats or foxes." Webb has been studying a population of broad-headed snakes in Morton National Park, south of Sydney, for more than three decades. The distinctive reptile has a flattened head, a black body with mosaic-like yellow bands and grows up to 90 cm (35 inches) long. It is only found within the rocky escarpment of the Sydney sandstone basin and surrounding ranges.
"I've always been fascinated by snakes, since I was quite small. One of my first childhood memories was being on my dad's shoulder, and the kid next door had a green tree snake and he let me touch it," said Webb. "For my Ph.D., I wanted to work on snake conservation and the broad-headed snake fascinated me because it used to be very common in the Sydney region, but even in the 1990s it was quite rare.
Why was this species in trouble when other snake species were doing OK?" Webb continued monitoring the population after completing his Ph.D. at the University of Sydney. Since joining UTS in 2012, his research has focused on developing practical solutions to help protect endangered reptiles and mammals. "It wasn't my intention to study this broad-headed snake population for 34 years.
It turned into a long-term study purely by accident, but it's been really rewarding and also great for teaching. "I take internship students every year to help with broad-headed snake surveys. They say it's one of their best experiences at university because they get to see what it's like to do real-world research, while also contributing to the management of a threatened species." Studying the broad-headed snake over such a long period has allowed Webb to not only better understand the reclusive reptile's life cycle, but also to tease apart the effects of fluctuations in rainfall, and droughts and fires, on population numbers.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
