# @usgs on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DMLfbXczSim
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69013858-usgs-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/4e441426a5.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-07-16T18:57:48.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (@USGS) — https://gondola.cc/USGS

## Caption

Happy World Snake Day from USGssssssssssss! 🐍

Today we’re spotlighting one not-so-welcome snake: the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis).

Native to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and Australia, this long, ssssslender, mildly venomous climber hitched a ride to Guam after WWII - and things have never been the same.

🦎 A ssssstealthy night hunter, it eats just about anything it can swallow: frogs, lizards, birds, and even small mammals.
🐦 It’s wiped out nearly all of Guam’s native birds and likely contributed to declines of bats and lizards.
💡 It causes millions in damages to power infrastructure and poses health risks to humans.

These are just a few of the reasons why USGS and partners are leading research to detect, control, and respond to this invasive predator, and prevent it from slithering into places like Hawai‘i.

This #WorldSnakeDay, remember: not all snakes belong where they ssssslither.

Learn more at the link in today's USGS story. 

Image: A brown treesnake slithers along a leaf. Credit: Bjorn Lardner

#BrownTreeSnake #InvasiveSpecies

## Stats

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## Tags

worldsnakeday, invasivespecies, browntreesnake

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