Dietary Behavior of the Mangrove Monitor Lizard (Varanus Indicus)
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DIETARY BEHAVIOR OF THE MANGROVE MONITOR LIZARD (VARANUS INDICUS) ON COCOS ISLAND, GUAM, AND STRATEGIES FOR VARANUS INDICUS ERADICATION A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I AT HILO IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN TROPICAL CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAY 2016 By Seamus P. Ehrhard Thesis Committee: William Mautz, Chairperson Donald Price Patrick Hart Acknowledgements I would like to thank Guam’s Department of Agriculture, the Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources, and wildlife biologist, Diane Vice, for financial assistance, research materials, and for offering me additional staffing, which greatly aided my fieldwork on Guam. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. William Mautz for his consistent help and effort, which exceeded all expectations of an advisor, and without which I surely would have not completed my research or been inspired to follow my passion of herpetology to the near ends of the earth. 2 Abstract The mangrove monitor lizard (Varanus indicus), a large invasive predator, can be found on all areas of the 38.6 ha Cocos Island at an estimated density, in October 2011, of 6 V. Indicus per hectare on the island. Plans for the release of the endangered Guam rail (Gallirallus owstoni) on Cocos Island required the culling of V. Indicus, because the lizards are known to consume birds and bird eggs. Cocos Island has 7 different habitats; resort/horticulture, Casuarina forest, mixed strand forest, Pemphis scrub, Scaevola scrub, sand/open area, and wetlands. I removed as many V. Indicus as possible from the three principal habitats; Casuarina forest, mixed scrub forest, and a garbage dump (resort/horticulture) using six different trapping methods. Cage traps and garbage barrels were highly effective in capturing medium to large adults, while snake traps were the only trapping method that effectively captured neonate monitor lizards. An air rifle with pellet shot removed the most individual V. Indicus and was effective in capturing all sizes of the lizards. Polyvinyl chloride pipe retreats and monofilament live snares were much less effective. After 11 months of trapping and shooting on Cocos Island, V. Indicus density was reduced to an estimated one V. Indicus per ha. Live captured V. Indicus were euthanized then weighed, measured, and dissected to analyze diet. Combined with earlier dietary data, I compared the diet of V. Indicus before and after an earlier rodent eradication using a prior diet analysis when rodents were present. In contrast to data published on V. Indicus from mainland Guam, rodents did not constitute a large percentage of the V. Indicus diet on Cocos Island prior to rodent eradication. However, 20 months post-rodent eradication, there were increased numbers of reptile eggs, earthworms, and insect larvae in the stomach contents of V. Indicus. Comparison of 3 the percent occurrence of ingested items from the three different habitats showed that garbage dump greatly differed from the Casuarina forest and the mixed scrub forest. Comparison of diet between the mixed scrub forest and Casuarina forest revealed that while both populations of V. Indicus were consuming high percentages of crabs, the species of crab consumed differed between the two areas. Dietary differences were quantified using the Importance Index, which analyzes prey importance in relation to predator body size. Combined prey Importance Index with the prey frequency Index, showed that birds are the most important prey item followed by crabs. Although birds are found in only 4% of V. indicus with identifiable stomach contents, birds are the most important component in terms of dietary energy acquisition. 4 Table of Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………….………2 Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………3 List of Tables and Figures…………………......…………………………………………….........6 Chapter 1: The Use of Different Removal Methods for Culling the Mangrove Monitor Lizard (Varanus indicus) on Cocos Island, Guam………………………………….…7 Chapter 2: The Dietary Behavior of the Mangrove Monitor Lizard (Varanus indicus) on Cocos Island, Guam………………………………………………………………23 References ……………………………………………………………………………………….45 5 List of Tables and Figures Table 1: Summary of Varanus indicus removed from Cocos Island……………………………36 Table 2: Summary of Fisher LSD Test ……………………………..…………………………..36 Table 3: Number of V. indicus caught per trapping method in the South transect……………...37 Table 4: Number of V. indicus caught per trapping method in the North transect ……………..37 Table 5: Rating of trapping methods……………………………………………………………38 Table 6: Population Estimate of V. indicus on Cocos Island…………………………………....38 Table 7: Stomach content data from Varanus indicus on Cocos Island………………………...39 Table 8: Comparison of dietary importance indices…………………………………………….40 Figure 1: Microhabitats on Cocos Island………………………….………………………….…41 Figure 2: Size of Varanus indicus removed from Cocos Island……………………………..….41 Figure 3: Size of Varanus indicus removed from Cocos Island by pellet gun………………….42 Figure 4: Size comparison of Varanus indicus removed using cage traps and snake traps…….42 Figure 5: The Frequency Index of prey type in the stomach contents of Varanus indicus on Cocos Island before and after a rodent eradication…………………………………………..….43 Figure 6: Frequency Index of Varanus indicus stomach contents on Cocos Island…………….43 Figure 7: The Frequency Index of three crab species found in the stomach contents of V. indicus from two different habitats on Cocos Island……………………………………………………..44 Figure 8: Data from 99 the stomachs of V. indicus that contained identifiable contents…….…44 6 Chapter 1: The Use of Different Removal Methods for Culling the Mangrove Monitor Lizard (Varanus indicus) on Cocos Island, Guam Introduction The mangrove monitor, or “Pacific monitor lizard” (Varanus indicus) is a large carnivorous lizard with an extensive distribution. They are found in northern Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall islands, and throughout various regions of Micronesia, including Guam. With such a widespread and insular distribution, the taxonomic status of V. indicus populations is frequently re-assessed (Bennett, 1998). Along with broad distribution, there is a large variation in the size of V. indicus. Varanus indicus is oviparous. Snout-vent length (SVL) can range from 105mm in hatchlings to 433mm in adults (personal observation on Cocos Island, Guam). The purpose of this study was to reduce the population of Varanus indicus on Cocos Island and compare the effectiveness of different removal methods. This study was conducted on Cocos Island, a 0.39 km2 island located 1.6 km off the southern tip of Guam. A continuing effort to cull the population of V. indicus on Cocos Island began in January of 2009 in preparation for the release and introduction of the endangered Guam rail (Gallirallus owstoni (USDA, 2009) to the island. Varanus indicus is known to consume native birds on other Pacific islands (Uchida, 1966). Cocos Island is composed of seven different habitats; resort/horticulture, Casuarina forest, mixed strand forest, Pemphis scrub, Scaevola scrub, sand/open area, and wetlands. Varanus indicus is considered invasive on Cocos Island and is believed to have been introduced 7 in the mid-1980’s by both Guam residents and the accidental release of display specimens from a resort on the island (Rodda et al., 1991). Previous studies used different methods to remove large varanid species from an area. In Cape Coral Florida, Nile monitor lizards (Varanus niloticus) have become established in the wild as a result of releases by irresponsible pet owners. Havahart cage traps were modified by attaching fine mesh screening to all sides and front door of the trap, reducing the gaps on the frame of the trap to less than 1/4 inch. These modified Havahart cage traps were successfully employed to remove the large lizards (Enge et al. 2004; Campbell, 2005). Smith (2004) used open-ended PVC traps to catch V. indicus in Australia, and Reed et al. (2000) used monofilament snare traps to catch V. indicus on the island of Rota. A resort employee on Cocos Island, and local trapper, maintained a baited garbage barrel to catch V.indicus for his afternoon lunch. However, no study has successfully implemented a multi-faceted approach to removing all sizes of lizards from a population. Simultaneous application of multiple trapping techniques on Cocos Island raised the possibility of significant interactions occurring among them. However the overall goal of removing as many V. indicus as possible required application of all techniques. Varanus indicus is highly arboreal, sometimes climbing trees to heights over 10 meters (Smith 2004). Arboreal habitats make V. indicus difficult to catch, and the large range in size from hatchling to adult makes it difficult to estimate the full size distribution. To make an estimate, I used a 1500m transect line across the island and counted the number of V. indicus seen within 3 meters of each side (Figure 1). This survey was carried out for 10 days before initiating trapping and after the 11 months of combined trapping and shooting to determine the effect of the removal methods as a whole. 8 After comparing the effectiveness of each trapping method, in regards to the number and size of individuals caught, I evaluated 8 factors to be considered when conducting a removal of varanid lizards. These were: size classes of V. indicus caught, portability of the trapping