NRI has been working with partners in the U.S. That loss of habitat is one of the major reasons for the loss of the Louisiana pinesnake.” “In Texas, we’ve lost a lot of that longleaf pine habitat, and a lot of it gets overgrown,” Walkup said. NRI has several projects focused on restoring this once widespread landscape.
Today, there are only an estimated 3 million acres.
southeast and stretched for over 90 million acres. These forests used to be the dominant type in the U.S. They are one of the most ecodiverse habitats in the world after the rainforests, supporting thousands of different species, many of which are not found anywhere else. This unusual snake depends on the uniquely American ecosystem of the longleaf pine forests. The species is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act wherever found. They are part of the same family that includes other harmless Texas snakes like corn snakes, rat snakes, gopher or bull snakes, king snakes and milk snakes.ĭespite their name, Louisiana pinesnakes’ historic range includes Texas, where a few small populations still exist. The Louisiana pinesnake is a non-venomous burrowing snake that eats small rodents, especially the Baird’s pocket gopher.
TEXAS INDIGO SNAKE KYLE HOW TO
“Our job is to go in and figure out things like how widespread they are, their habitat, genetics, how to catch them, and so on.” A unique snake and its unique home “For a lot of these species of conservation concern, there’s not a lot of information known about them,” Walkup said. Most of NRI’s work with the trio of threatened snakes deals with habitat restoration and assessment, partnering on early-stage reintroduction efforts, and pursuing general knowledge about the species. “They eat smaller things like rodents, so they can help with rodent control and can also be food for bigger things, so they are an important part of the food web. “Snakes tend to be in the middle of a food web,” she continued. “Snakes are vilified, but they are an important part of the ecosystem,” explained Danielle Walkup, NRI research scientist. (Texas A&M National Resources Institute photo by Toby Hibbitts, Ph.D.)
0 kommentar(er)
