Snake Populations and Human Intervention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Snake Populations and Human Intervention - Essay Example Both areas are known C. horridus habitats. Snake population sizes shall be determined for both areas from local reports of spottings in summer. Adults, young ones and neonates shall all be considered for the study. The two population sizes shall be compared. The population size from the conserved area shall serve as the control as there is supposedly no human intervention and the snakes are left in their pristine state. If the population size from the non-conserved area is larger than or the same as that from the conserved area it will be construed that the hypothesis is correct. If the converse is true the hypothesis will be proved wrong and this research study shall be considered successful. The entire study will be supplemented by a questionnaire that shall be presented to locals residing near the two survey areas. The questionnaire design will be such that information on the respondents' awareness of conservation efforts and their attitude towards the snakes can be judged. This, together with the study results can help immensely in future studies conducted to assess how snakes can co-habit with humans without friction. Taxonomy: The timber rattlesnake is a member of the almost worldwide family Viperidae. These viperids include both Old World and New World snakes that have existed since the Miocene Age (Adams, Jennifer P., 2005). Crotalinae, commonly called pit-vipers, is a sub-family comprised of 16 genera and 144 species (Adams, Jennifer P., 2005). Crotalinae members are characterized by two pitted heat sensors between the eyes and nares, hollow retractable fangs, a single row of sub-caudal scales and vertical pupils (Adams, Jennifer P., 2005). There are 33 Crotalus New World species and sub-species, of which 25 inhabit North America. The rattle and the broad head narrowing at the neck and descending into a thick heavy body most characterize this genus (Adams, Jennifer P., 2005). Distribution and Status Distribution: Timber rattlesnakes range widely from New Hampshire south to Florida, west to Texas and north again to southeast Nebraska through to southeast Minnesota (Fig. 1, Appendix) (Staff, CRACM, 2003). Despite this wide distribution timber rattlesnakes are usually found in isolated pockets to the western and northern limits of their ranges. In particular context to West Virginia, where this study will be conducted, the species ranges from the eastern panhandle through the Alleghenies south to Mingo and Mercer counties (Fig. 2, Appendix) (West Virginia Snakes, 2003). Status: Evolutionary trends have produced Crotalus horridus as a 'long-lived, slow-reproducing