Analysing spatiotemporal patterns of snake occurrence in an Australian city to help manage human-wildlife conflict

Analysis of the spatial and temporal patterns of animal occurrence data can provide insight into the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of populations. Snakes may exhibit seasonal changes in their spatial use of landscapes, and understanding these patterns is crucial for improving management strategies that reduce human–snake conflict. Here, we investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of snake occurrence (2011 to 2017) in a metropolitan area of northern Australia, by analysing the intra-annual variation in activity patterns for seven common species of snake. We compare occurrences in six landuse categories at different times of year and use contemporary ecological niche approaches, including hypervolume and overlap calculations, to analyse how the species-specific use of these landuse categories varies during periods of high and low activity. We found that the spatial area of each landuse category around occurrence points was broadly similar between periods of high and low activity within each species, although significant differences were observed in at least one category in six species, indicative of shifts in snake behaviour or movement. Hypervolume analysis suggested that most species occur in an expanded area of environmental space in their high activity period, but the extent to which this occurs varies substantially. These results can inform management strategies for urban wildlife, and show that human–snake interactions can be better managed by understanding occurrence patterns. Our approach could be leveraged by urban wildlife managers globally to predict where and when human–wildlife encounters may occur, and to improve species- and season-specific relocation strategies.