What specific morphological data was crucial in linking the Guam population to the Admiralty Islands source?
Answer
Scale counts around the neck, midbody, and posterior body.
Researchers focused on standard scale counts, specifically the number of dorsal scale rows counted around the neck, midbody, and posterior body, which showed the Guam snakes were statistically indistinguishable from specimens originating in the Admiralty Islands.
Related Questions
What feature gives *Boiga irregularis* the common reference of "cat-eyed" snakes?Which region is explicitly excluded from the native range description of *Boiga irregularis*?How does the diet of larger brown tree snakes in their native range typically shift regarding prey types?When did researchers determine the introduction of *Boiga irregularis* most likely occurred on Guam?What specific morphological data was crucial in linking the Guam population to the Admiralty Islands source?What location served as a crucial staging point for salvaged military equipment shipped to Guam, likely carrying the invasive snakes?Why was the initial presence of the snakes around Guam's Apra Harbor not widely reported for nearly two decades?What was the brown tree snake occasionally misidentified as by locals near Apra Harbor in the mid-1950s?By which scientist and in what year was *Boiga irregularis* scientifically classified?What two primary factors contributed to the snake's population explosion on Guam?