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INSULAR ECOLOGY OF FLORIDA KEYS REPTILESAbstract
The insular ecology of the Florida Keys reptile populations remains poorly understood and continues to be very difficult to compile due to continued habitat alterations and the rarity of populations retaining a suitable number of individuals upon which to conduct population surveys. Twenty-five adult rattlesnakes were captured and marked on Raccoon Key, three on Big Torch Key and one on Middle Torch Key. The mean SVL value for female snakes was 1032.2 mm. In contrast, mean SVL value for the males was 936.5 mm. Fifty-two mangrove water snakes have been marked since 1995. Forty-one specimens were females (80%) and 11 were males (20%). The maximum SVL for the captured females snakes was 694 mm and the smallest 195 mm. In contrast, mean SVL value for the males was 428.1 mm. Microbial analyses were also performed on the animals collected to determine which microbial species were present and with what frequency in the Crotalus and Nerodia populations.
Mealey, B.K., G.M. Parks, J.D. Baldwin, and M.R.J. Forstner. 2005. The Insular Ecology of the Florida Keys Reptiles. In The Status and Conservation of Florida Amphibians and Reptiles, edited by Walter E. Meshaka, Jr. and Kimberly J. Babbitt. Krieger Publications, Melbourne, Florida
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