Innovative Methods for Studies of Snake Ecology and Conservation

Michael E. Dorcas¹ and John D. Willson²

¹Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina 28035-7118 USA
²Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802 USA

Abstract: Snakes are fascinating to many laypeople and scientists alike, and numerous studies of snake ecology and natural history have been conducted. For nearly all snake species, however, a comprehensive understanding of their ecology, and especially population biology, is lacking. Such gaps in our knowledge limit our ability to develop effective conservation and management strategies or, more often, prohibit arguments that conservation is needed at all. We argue that snakes, although often challenging to study, offer many opportunities for ecological study unparalleled by other taxa.