Snakes in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas: Encounters and Challenges in the Atlantic Forest Biome, Brazil

In global scenarios, the implementation of major structural works, such as highways, railroads and ports, as well as the accelerated growth of urban centers, are processes that can have an impact on local fauna and if conducted without proper planning or focus on mitigating possible interference to fauna, can lead to the destruction of habitats and consequently damage to biodiversity, which also has an impact on society. Studies on herpetofauna and the management of species that appear in urban environments are little explored on the South American continent and research on snakes in these environments has not been carried out in the region investigated. The aim of this study was to identify the occurrences of snakes in urbanized areas of two municipalities in the Atlantic Forest biome, to learn about the spatial distribution and final destination of these animals. Our results found 25 species of snakes divided between the families Boidae (3 sp.), Colubridae (7 sp.), Dipsadidae (12 sp.) Typhlopidae (1 sp.) Viperidae (2 sp.) that circulated in urban and peri-urban areas and were identified using data obtained from the electronic system of the state fauna management agency and additionally from a herpetological collection of the local university, which presented a panorama of the return of animals to the wild as well as revealing animals victimized by trampling in the urbanized stretches. The final destinations of snakes that have appeared in urban areas are still poorly explained because most of the species rescued, despite having been relocated, had poorly detailed information on the management forms, which need to be better documented, from the level of species identification, as well as the final destination of the relocation, for more efficient management of urban wildlife, aiding in the process of conserving species that appear in cities.