2026/06/02 by Ali M. Mulla, Shivam Shukla, Bryce M. Sweely +3
Environmental Science · #Air temperature #Avian ecology and behavior #Hot weather #Trapping #West Nile virus #Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1670/2701457
published in Journal of Herpetology 60(2) (The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles)
openalex publication_date 2026/06/02 · openalex created_date 2026/06/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Nile Monitors (Varanus niloticus) have been established in Florida since the 1990s and are considered a high-risk invasive species. The ecology of this species in Florida, however, is poorly understood. We used trapping data from a city control program to examine the effects of daily weather conditions on probability of capturing Nile Monitors in live-animal traps. We originally collected trapping data by setting baited live-animal traps in terrestrial habitat along canals in Cape Coral, Florida, USA from July 2007 to December 2022. Traps were checked daily while they were deployed, and capture dates of Nile Monitors were recorded. Logistic regression analysis suggested that rainfall had a significant positive effect on probability of capture one day later but had significant negative effects on probability of capture on the same day and three days later. Chi-square tests indicated significant positive associations between presence of rainfall and capture occurrence one and two days later. These results may reflect optimal foraging strategies of Nile Monitors in Florida. We suspect that conditions following rainfall may result in increased movement and could consequently increase probability of capture.