Plastic tag/colored beads (7) . 



Thin, yellow plastic tags were successfully used by Voris et 

 al. (1983) to mark sea snakes; these tags were embedded 

 subcutaneously in front of the tail on the right side of the body. 

 Similar red tags hooked through the tail were found to be less 

 valuable. Hudnall (1982) suggested the use of colored beads to mark 

 snakes. 



Radioactive wire (8) . 



Barbour et al. (1969) first used a radioactive wire to mark 

 snakes. A thin wire is inserted subcutaneously in the tail via a 

 modified hypodermic syringe. The wires were radioactive Cobalt 

 (Co 60 ) with a 50-80 microcurie dose. Hirth et al. (1969) and later 

 Fitch (fide Ferner, 1979) used radioactive Tantalum (Ta 182 ) wire 

 with 4 00 microcurie amounts. Snakes so marked can be located nine 

 meters away when on the surface and three meters away when 30 cm 

 below the surface. Tantalum and Cobalt have been the preferred 

 source of radiation. Cobalt has a more powerful gamma radiation 

 with a half-life of 5 years, whereas Tantalum has a half-life of 

 only 6 months. The disadvantages of radioactive tags are that they 

 may injure and eventually kill the snakes carrying them. 

 Furthermore they are readily shed and then become hazardous to 

 other animals or humans (Fitch, 1987) . Radioactive tags are 

 preferable to radiotransmitters in smaller snakes. The use of 

 radioactive tags (and telemetry) are reviewed in Spellerberg and 

 Prestt (1978), Swingland (1978) and Ferner (1979). 



The major problem for the effective use of external tags is 

 the choice of an adequate attachment site. The elongated, limbless 

 body of snakes offers no satisfactory attachment sites. The 

 possible sites are the free edges of the anterior ventrals, the 

 cloacal plate, the lower jaw, or the base of the rattle in 

 rattlesnakes. The tags must be attached in a manner to avoid 

 interference with normal behavior and to reduce abrasion or loss 

 of the tags. 



The aforementioned tags can be stitched to the skin with heavy 

 thread, thin wire or nylon. Utmost care must be exercised when 

 attaching tags to avoid injury. For example, pinched skin undergoes 

 necrosis thereby modifying the snake's normal behavior and 

 increasing the likelihood of tag loss (Fitch, 1987) . 



Painting/coloring 



Brush paint (9) . 



Fitch (1960) painted red, yellow, orange, and blue enamel 

 marks on snakes to check on their shedding cycle. Pough (1966) used 



