LE3 .278 2009

2009

Mockford, Steve

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Biology

Biology

The Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis sauritus) is listed as a threatened species in Nova Scotia. The threat of diminishing habitat due to shoreline property development combined with a general dearth of knowledge on the snakes' movements and habitat use complicates conservation and potential recovery planning. Visual surveys were conducted at Molega Lake, an area known to contain a small population of Ribbonsnakes. The survey area was expanded in 2008 from previous studies to include four new areas, chosen along the shoreline at varying distances from the original site. The new areas, chosen based on reports of sightings, similarity of habitat, and proximity to the previous study site were surveyed along with the original site. Snakes were hand-captured and identified. Eligible specimens were implanted with a subcutaneous passive integrated transponder as a means of identification. Individual movements were small, with maximum recorded movements shown to be less than that of the smallest distance between survey zones. Home range, calculated from an individual with many recaptures was shown to encompass most of the original survey zone; however, no specimens were observed in more than one area over the four month research season, despite the more populous areas being approximately only 175m apart. Total observations of individual snakes were very low for two of the new areas, and one area showed a marked decrease of observations in the months of July and August. Almost all of the observations occurred within the current critical habitat description, with no sightings in the area specifically chosen for its different habitat type.

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