U.S. Uses 2,000 Mice with Acetaminophen to Reduce Invasive Snakes in Forests and Protect Wildlife and Power Grid

Written by Noel Budeguer

Published on 03/01/2026 at 22:54

Estratégia com 80 miligramas de paracetamol ganhou testes em campo, evoluiu para sistema automatizado e virou parte do controle contínuo da cobra castanha arborícola em Guam

1773 people reacted to this.

Strategy With 80 Milligrams Of Paracetamol Passed Field Tests, Evolved Into Automated System And Became Part Of The Continuous Control Of The Brown Tree Snake In Guam

The planned action for the forests of Guam has moved from paper to being included in the measures used to combat the brown tree snake.

The method uses dead rodents with 80 milligrams of paracetamol, a lethal dose for the species, placed in the environment to facilitate encounters by the snakes.

Besides impacting wildlife, the advance of snakes also affects the island’s infrastructure, posing risks to electrical systems and power outages.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

What Happened And Why It Caught Attention

The operation involved the release of 2,000 rats already dead, prepared to serve as toxic bait for the snakes.

The target is the brown tree snake, which can grow up to three meters and has spread aggressively across the island.

The strategy caught attention for using paracetamol as a toxicant for an invasive reptile, taking advantage of the species’ high sensitivity to the compound.

How The Baits Fall From The Trees

Left: standard aerial delivery system (ADS) with dead rat bait weighing **4 to 6 g** and **one 80 mg acetaminophen tablet** externally attached.
Right: proposed alternative land bait made up of a dead rat weighing **13 to 17 g** with **two 80 mg tablets** inserted into its body.

To reduce the risk of other animals finding the baits on the ground, the delivery was designed to get snagged in the vegetation.

The procedure plans for the rodents to be released one by one, with a mini parachute, to get entangled in the trees where the snakes move.

There was also the use of radio tracking on some of the baits to monitor snake movements before death, during the evaluation stages of the method.

Why Paracetamol Entered Snake Control

Paracetamol is an effective oral toxicant for the brown tree snake, with a dose of 80 milligrams associated with very high mortality in the species.

Broad-scale control gained momentum with the development of an automated aerial delivery system, designed to distribute baits in forest areas quickly and uniformly.

Tests and validations indicate that the technique can reduce the abundance of snakes in treated areas, although it does not eliminate the problem definitively.

The Size Of The Problem In Guam And The Daily Damages

Brown tree snakes can vary significantly in size. The image shows a small juvenile (**713 mm** snout-to-vent length, **36 g** body mass; on the left) and an exceptionally large male (**1,800 mm**, **1,285 g**; on the right)

Estimates suggest about 2 million snakes in 541 square kilometers of Guam, with densities ranging from 50 to 100 snakes per hectare in critical areas.

The species is linked to the loss of native birds, with the extinction of nine out of the 12 native species cited in the history of the problem.

The pressure also manifests in infrastructure, focusing on reducing power outages and risks in electrical installations.

What May Happen From Now On

The program is not limited to a single action and has become part of a set of control measures, with ongoing research and method adjustments.

Aerial drops may suppress snakes for a period, but reinvasion occurs from untreated areas over months, underscoring the need for reapplications and combinations with other tools.

Guam remains an unincorporated US territory with 160,000 people and military significance, while snake control continues to be an environmental and essential service issue, such as energy.

44 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Built-in feedback

View all comments

Antonio Tripoloni

#220720

05/01/2026 20:34

EQUÍVOCO. CONTROLA COM AVESTRUZ EMA SIRIEMA ok?

Respond

Reinaldo Timaure

#220686

05/01/2026 18:31

Tengo entendido que las serpientes no consumen animales muertos, inoculan con su mordida el veneno
que actua como las enzimas digestivas lo ayuda a digerir la presa antes de ser deglutida, lo que favorece su digestion

Respond

Andres

#237742

Reply to Reinaldo Timaure

20/02/2026 16:59

entiendes mal

Respond

Aliete

#220675

05/01/2026 18:12

Ótimo iniciativa.

Respond

U.S. Uses 2,000 Mice with Acetaminophen to Reduce Invasive Snakes in Forests and Protect Wildlife and Power Grid

Strategy With 80 Milligrams Of Paracetamol Passed Field Tests, Evolved Into Automated System And Became Part Of The Continuous Control Of The Brown Tree Snake In Guam

What Happened And Why It Caught Attention

How The Baits Fall From The Trees

Why Paracetamol Entered Snake Control

The Size Of The Problem In Guam And The Daily Damages

What May Happen From Now On

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

A perfect 6 km ring in the far east of Russia intrigues NASA satellites as it appears to be a meteor crater or an extinct volcano, but the agency has already confirmed that it is neither and harbors a much stranger origin beneath the Earth.

Australia positions a barge with 78-meter legs at sea to install ocean sockets connected to tunnels under the seabed to supply a desalination plant that will produce 150 million liters of water per day in Alkimos until 2028.

From a simple approach at the gate to more than R$ 45,000 in donations, the story of a gardener offering volunteer work shows how a well-tended garden can pave the way for food, hope, and an almost finished home for a Brazilian family.

Couple buys 380 seedlings online to create an 80-meter hedge on their property, tests drip irrigation, and begins transforming open area into a green wall at the refuge they are building in Santa Catarina.

3.09-carat white diamond found by woman in a United States park after losing her father and son, and the rare stone valued at up to R$ 240,000 becomes a symbol of unexpected joy during a period of mourning

U.S. Uses 2,000 Mice with Acetaminophen to Reduce Invasive Snakes in Forests and Protect Wildlife and Power Grid

Strategy With 80 Milligrams Of Paracetamol Passed Field Tests, Evolved Into Automated System And Became Part Of The Continuous Control Of The Brown Tree Snake In Guam

What Happened And Why It Caught Attention

How The Baits Fall From The Trees

Why Paracetamol Entered Snake Control

The Size Of The Problem In Guam And The Daily Damages

What May Happen From Now On

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

Between Alaska and Siberia, there is an abyss on the sea floor, a submarine trench 2,600 meters deep that surpasses the Grand Canyon in vertical scale and hosts one of the rarest ecosystems on the planet.

End of separate pressure cooker, air fryer, and electric pot? Ninja Foodi MAX SmartLid combines 15 functions, three cooking modes, and a smart lid to cook, fry, bake, and steam in the same device.

Super airplane Phantom 3500 advances towards its first flight, promising 60% lower fuel consumption, a windowless cabin, operation above 51,000 feet, technology validated by DARPA, and a billion-dollar order of 300 jets before certification.

In addition to cars, BYD is already testing 10 heavy 6×2 electric trucks in Brazil with a recharge time of just 10 minutes, a range of 220 km, and a new battery inspired by the brand’s automobiles to revolutionize freight transport.

Forget traditional asphalt: Barcelona will install streets made with olive pits and wood waste in 2026; Biochar technology reduces CO2 emissions by up to 76% and transforms avenues into giant urban carbon stocks.

A perfect 6 km ring in the far east of Russia intrigues NASA satellites as it appears to be a meteor crater or an extinct volcano, but the agency has already confirmed that it is neither and harbors a much stranger origin beneath the Earth.

Australia positions a barge with 78-meter legs at sea to install ocean sockets connected to tunnels under the seabed to supply a desalination plant that will produce 150 million liters of water per day in Alkimos until 2028.

From a simple approach at the gate to more than R$ 45,000 in donations, the story of a gardener offering volunteer work shows how a well-tended garden can pave the way for food, hope, and an almost finished home for a Brazilian family.

Couple buys 380 seedlings online to create an 80-meter hedge on their property, tests drip irrigation, and begins transforming open area into a green wall at the refuge they are building in Santa Catarina.

3.09-carat white diamond found by woman in a United States park after losing her father and son, and the rare stone valued at up to R$ 240,000 becomes a symbol of unexpected joy during a period of mourning