Herpetology Notes, volume 6: 103-104 (2013) (published online on 22 March 2013)
Entanglement in plastic debris by Boa constrictor (Serpentes: Boidae) in the state of Maranhão, Northeastern Brazil Jivanildo Pinheiro Miranda1, Romário Ferreira de Matos2, Raiana Cristina S. Araújo2, Fabiano Micheletto Scarpa2, Carlos Frederico D. Rocha4
Plastics are extremely versatile and cheap materials. As a consequence, their use has dramatically increased, reaching a worldwide production of about 300 million tons a year (Andradry and Neal, 2009; Thompson et al., 2009). The concern about this issue is arising, as these products tend to accumulate in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They remain there for a long period of time, as plastics are very resistant and durable (Derraik, 2002; Thompson et al., 2009). Ingestion of or entanglement in such materials have been reported in at least 260 animal species (Laist, 1997). The consumption of these materials could result in severe consequences including blockage of the digestive tract, and slow starvation. The entanglement in plastic debris could result in impaired movement and feeding, reduced fitness, growth problems, lacerations, and premature death (Laist, 1997; Thompson et al., 2009; Gregory, 2009). Herein, we provide an instance of entanglement in plastic debris by an individual of Boa constrictor Linnaeus, 1758 (SVL: 128 cm, Weight: 1.040 kg). We found this specimen in the Cerrado (savannahlike vegetation), in the forest reserve at the Federal University of Maranhão, Chapadinha, Maranhão, Brazil (coordinates: -3.7350 and -43.3188, WGS1984). On July 25, 2011, at 9:15 am we observed an individual of Boa 1 Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Centro de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, MA-230, Km 4, s/n, CEP 65500-000, Chapadinha, MA, Brazil. 2 Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Centro de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, MA230, Km 4, s/n, CEP 65500-000, Chapadinha, MA, Brazil. 3 Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Av.dos Astronautas, 1758, CEP: 12227010, Jardim da Granja, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 4 Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Ecologia, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, CEP 20550-011, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 1Correspondent author:
[email protected]
constrictor with a PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) plastic ring (a piece used in electrical pipes) that somehow slipped over the snake´s body forming a tight noose around it (Figure 1). The plastic ring was positioned in such a way that it would be hard for the animal to remove it on its own. In reptiles, there are reports of entanglement in plastic debris for marine turtles, (Laist, 1997; Derraik, 2002) but we are unaware of an analogous report for snakes. The presence of such a resistant ring around the body could potentially be an obstacle for the movement of large food items inside the snake’s body, which would lead to starvation and possible death, due to blockage of the digestive tract. Solid waste is becoming a problem of major concern in Brazil as a result of the recent economic growth (Bortoleto and Hanaki, 2006; Resende, 2010). Thus, this observation highlights the importance of policies related plastic waste management and environmental education in Brazil, particularly in wildlife habitats, in order to avoid such severe consequences for species health and survival. We removed the PVC ring from the specimen of Boa constrictor described here and kept it under surveillance for two days. Then, it has received a passive integrated transponder (number 963-000-000-411711) and was released at the Itamacaoca area (-3.7446 and -43.3268, WGS1984). Acknowledgements. We are grateful to Adenias Teixeira and Regis Catarino da Hora for field assistance; Kristen Hammer for English Review. JPM received grants from FAPEMA (Process APP-01131/10 and INFRA-00563/10). RFM and RCSA thank FAPEMA for their scholarships. CFDR received grants from CNPq (Processes 304791/2010-5 and 472287/2012-5) and from FAPERJ (Process 26.102.765/2012) through Programa Cientistas do Nosso Estado. ICMBio permit number 22843-1. Davor Vrcibradic and Zoltan T. Nagy provided valuable suggestions on the manuscript.
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Figure 1. Boa constrictor entangled in PVC ring in Chapadinha, Maranhão, Brazil. Lower left: Detail of the ring around the snake. Notice the tight noose around the animal.
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Laist, D. W. (1997): Impacts of marine debris: entanglement of marine life in marine debris including a comprehensive list of species with entanglement and ingestion records. In J. Coe, M., Rogers, B. D. (eds.): Marine debris: sources, impacts and solutions. Berlin. Springer. Resende, G. M. (2010): Multiple dimensions of regional economic growth: The Brazilian case, 1991-2000. Papers in Regional Science 90: 629-663. Thompson, R.C., Moore, C.J., vom Saal, F.S., Swan, S.H. (2009): Plastics, the environment and human health: current consensus and future trends. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 364: 2153–2166
Accepted by Zoltan T. Nagy
