3 research outputs found
Plastic ingestion in adult and fledgling Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus on Skomer Island, Wales
Plastic debris is ubiquitous in the marine environment, and seabirds are among the most impacted
marine vertebrates. Plastic ingestion was investigated in an internationally-important breeding
population of Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus on Skomer Island, Wales in 2018–19. Opportunistic
necropsies were carried out on a total of 34 birds to collect contents of the gastrointestinal tract: 13
adults in April – July 2018 and 12 fledglings during September 2019, and a further nine opportunistic
necropsies carried out from adults in July – September 2018. The presence, quantity, size and colour
of plastic in the gastrointestinal tract was investigated. Plastic was found in 71% of stomach contents
(68% of adults, 75% of fledglings). Adults were found to have larger plastic pieces in their
gastrointestinal tract than fledglings, and lighter birds had larger pieces of plastic in their tracts than
heavier birds. This study shows that Manx Shearwaters on Skomer Island are vulnerable to plastic
ingestion, and that adults are likely to pass plastic to their chicks
Eliciting a predatory response in the eastern corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) using live and inanimate sensory stimuli: implications for managing invasive populations
North America's Eastern corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) has been introduced to several islands throughout the Caribbean and Australasia where it poses a significant threat to native wildlife. Invasive snake control programs often involve trapping with live bait, a practice that, as well as being costly and labour intensive, raises welfare and ethical concerns. This study assessed corn snake response to live and inanimate sensory stimuli in an attempt to inform possible future trapping of the species and the development of alternative trap lures. We exposed nine individuals to sensory cues in the form of odour, visual, vibration and combined stimuli and measured the response (rate of tongue-flick [RTF]). RTF was significantly higher in odour and combined cues treatments, and there was no significant difference in RTF between live and inanimate cues during odour treatments. Our findings suggest chemical cues are of primary importance in initiating predation and that an inanimate odour stimulus, absent of simultaneous visual and vibratory cues, is a potential low-cost alternative trap lure for the control of invasive corn snake populations