Pheromone trailing behavior of the brown tree snake, Boiga irregularis

Abstract

The ability of snakes to follow pheromone trails has significant consequences for survival and reproduction. Of particular importance is the ability of snakes to locate conspecifics during the breeding season via the detection of pheromone trails. In this study, the ability of male brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis), a tropical, rear-fanged colubrid, to follow pheromone trails produced by reproductively active conspecifics was tested in the laboratory by using a Y maze. Males displayed a trailing response to both female and male pheromone trails over blank controls. As males of this species display ritualized combat behavior, these responses likely represent both direct and indirect mechanisms, respectively, for the location of potential mates in the wild. Males did not, however, discriminate between male and female trails when given a choice on the Y maze.