Snake invasion

News
Snaking swallowing a frog
Water snakes increasingly pose a threat to native and endangered species in California.

Water snakes may not be poisonous, but they are still bad news to an endangered mole salamander. An invasive species in California, the snakes may increasingly pose a threat to native and endangered species in the state, according to research from the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology.

The salamanders aren’t alone. Humans’ — and other primates’ — fear of snakes may be hard-wired. In 2006, UC Davis anthropology professor Lynne Isbell suggested that ancestral primates developed good close-up eyesight to avoid dangerous snakes, an idea recent research into snake-sensitive neurons has since supported. 

Media Resources

Kat Kerlin, Research news (emphasis on environmental sciences), 530-750-9195, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu

Andy Fell, 530-752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu

Tags