"Science is the poetry of reality"- Richard Dawkins
Green pit viper behavior and activity patterns
Comprising a significant role of my Master's research and the foundation for my dissertation study is ethological study of green pit vipers. I am particularly interested in how these species behave in natural and human- dominated landscapes, aiming to address conservation and snakebite management issues. Findings have included reinforcement of previous estimations that these species are primarily nocturnal ambush foraging predators and novel observations have included agonistic behaviors towards conspecifics, mating arboreally, male combat, and defensive caudal displays.
From Barnes et al. (2020) and (2019)
Links to publications
Green pit viper spatial ecology
Where do green pit vipers go, how far do they move, and when do they move are questions I have sought to answer, particularly in different habitat types. How these questions and subsequent answers relate to ethology and conservation are ultimate goals. Publications thus far addressing these questions include Barnes et al. (2017), Strine et al. (2018), and Barnes et al. (2019). Thus far we have observed vipers typically search for ambush and resting sites where they can remain for long periods of time (up to > 30 days at a site), do not move very far (< 100 m per move on average), and primarily move during the rain season when their prey (frogs and geckos) are most active and is when they breed, also.
From Barnes et al. (2017)
Links to publications
Tropical herpetofauna natural history
Basic natural history, what these organisms do in the wild, is lacking for many tropical herpetofauna species. Species I have addressed have included Malayan pit vipers (Calloselasma rhodostoma), banded kraits (Bungarus fasciatus), banded bullfrogs (Kaloula pulchra), and garden lizards (Calotes versicolor) among others.
Snakebite management
Snakebite has been recently labeled by the World Health Organization as a Neglected Tropical Disease. An estimated 5 million people are bitten every year, and more than 80,000 of those die. Despite this significant medical problem, there is limited study into the cause of it and even more of a disconnect between snake and human interaction study. This strongly hinders prevention methods. I have been fortunate to have been a part of a study investigating the direct interactions and consequences of Malayan kraits (Bungarus candidus) and students at my graduate university (Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand), Hodges et al. (2021).
Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus). Photograph by C. H. Barnes
Links to publications
Most of my journal and academic publications can be directly accessed through my ResearchGate and Google Scholar pages, and I have provided direct links alongside my listed publications below. I have attempted to make the data open through Movebank, Movie Archives of Animal Behavior, Open Science Foundation, Zenodo, and my Youtube channel. I am also working to make my research conducted in Thailand available in Thai language. As well as publishing, I am registered on the Early Career Reviewer Database - Ecology, Evolution, Behavior, and Systematics, and regularly review manuscripts for the following journals- Journal of Threatened Taxa, Amphibia- Reptilia, and Journal of Herpetology.
Journal Publications
2025
Zafirah, U. Z., Barnes, C. H., & Tipprapatkul, W. (2025). A rice paddy snake (Hypsiscopus plumbea) scavenging a roadkilled anuran. Reptiles & Amphibians 32: e22869. https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v32i1.22869
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2024
Barnes, C.H., Abdulaziz, U.Z., Kaenphet, A., & Kanlayanapaphon, C. (2024). Snake diversity, occupancy, and detection at Thailand’s largest university. Ecology and Evolution 14(9): e70317. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70317.
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Kaewtongkum, N., Janthadee, A., Barnes, C., Pranee, C., Kaikrathok, T., & Ruenpan, P. (2024). Courtship and mating behaviour of the intermediate bow-fingered gecko Cyrtodactylus intermedius in the wild. Herpetological Bulletin 169: 25-26.
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Barnes, C.H., Makoen, P., Aksornneam, A., Tipprapatkul, W., and Strine, C.T. (2024). Behaviour and activity pattern of a Kanchanaburi viper Trimeresurus kanburiensis. Herpetological Bulletin 167: 9-13. https://doi.org/10.33256/hb167.913.
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2023
Barnes, C.H., Strine, C.T., Suwanwaree, P. (2023). Finding the green in differently disturbed forests under different weather conditions: detection and occupancy of the green pit viper Trimeresurus (Cryptelytrops) macrops at the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Thailand. Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology 11(4). https://doi.org/10.31893/jabb.23037.
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Barnes, C.H., Strine, C.T., Nadolski, B., Hill III, J., Suwanwaree, P., Artchawakom, T., Waengsothorn, S. (2023). Bayesian insights into green pit viper Trimeresurus (Cryptelytrops) macrops sexual dimorphism with respect to influence of gravidity and habitat disturbance. Herpetological Journal 34:88-96. https://doi.org/10.33256/33.4.8896. Featured journal cover photograph by C.H. Barnes relevant to research article.
Kwak, M.L., Jones, M.D., Harman, M.E.A., Smith, S.N., D’souza, A., Knierim, T., Barnes, C.H., Waengsothorn, S., Amarga, A.KS., Wang, H., Kuo, C., Nakao, R. (2023). East Indies reptile tick Amblyomma helvolum Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), taxonomy, biology and new host records, including the first record of human infestation. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102224
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Barnes, C.H., Chumkiew, S., Piyatadsananon, P, and Strine, C.T. (2023). Seeing wildlife behavior in a new way: novel utilization of computer vision for focal reptile videography behavior study. Wildlife Society Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1426
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2021
Hodges, C.W., Barnes, C.H., Patungtaro, P, and Strine, C.T. (2021). Deadly dormmate: a case study on Bungarus candidus living among a student dormitory with implications for human safety. 2021;2:e12047. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12047
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2020
Barnes, C.H., Farren, W., Strine, C.T., & Suwanwaree, P. (2020). Social Behavior Displayed by the Green Pit Viper Trimeresurus (Cryptelytrops) macrops. Tropical Natural History 20(1): 95-103. https://li01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/tnh/article/view/178323
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Radcliffe, C., Nadolski, B., Suwanwaree, P., and Barnes, C.H. (2020). Bungarus candidus: predation attempt by centipede. Herpetological Review 51(4): 860-861. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
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2019
Barnes, C.H., Farren, W., Strine, C.T., Hill III, J., Waengsothorn, S., and Suwanwaree P. (2019). Are the habitat niches of female green pit vipers Cryptelytrops macrops and Viridovipera vogeli partitioned by vertical stratification? Herpetological Bulletin 147: 18-23. https://www.thebhs.org/publications/the-herpetological-bulletin/issue-number-149-autumn-2019/1960-3-are-the-habitat-niches-of-female-green-pit-vipers-i-cryptelytrops-macrops-i-and-i-viridovipera-vogeli-i-partitioned-by-vertical-stratification
Barnes, C.H., and Knierim, T. (2019). Brief insight into the behavior, activity, and interspecific interactions of urban Trimeresurus (Cryptelytrops) albolabris in Bangkok, Thailand. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(12): 14503-14510. https://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/5116
Barnes, C.H., and Tipprapatkul, W. (2019). Calotes versicolor: agonistic behavior. Herpetological Review 50(1): 138. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
Barnes, C.H., and Tipprapatkul, W. (2019). Cryptelytrops macrops: defensive tail display. Herpetological Review 50(1): 154. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
Barnes, C.H., Tipprapatkul, W., Hradnansky, T., and Barnes, C. (2019). Mobbing behavior by white- vented mynas (Acridotheres javanicus) towards a Southeast Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator macromaculatus). Biawak 13(1): 46- 49. http://varanidae.org/13_1.pdf
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2018
Barnes, C.H., and Knierim, T. (2018). A novel cave habitat use and range extension for a cryptic snake, Stegonotus muelleri (Squamata: Colubridae). Phyllomedusa 7(2): 295-297. https://www.revistas.usp.br/phyllo/article/view/152954
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Barnes, C.H., Strine, C.T., Suwanwaree, P., and Major, T. 2018. Cryptelytrops albolabris: behavior (response to fire in rural habitat). Herpetological Review 49 (1): 129- 130. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
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Strine, C., Brown, A., Barnes, C.H, Major, T., Artchawakom, T., Hill III, J.G., and Suwanwaree, P. 2018. The first record of arboreal male to male combat of free ranging Big- eyed Green Pit Vipers (Trimeresurus macrops) in Northeast Thailand. Current Herpetology 37(1): 1-7. https://bioone.org/journals/current-herpetology/volume-37/issue-1/hsj.37.81/Arboreal-Mating-Behaviors-of-the-Big-Eyed-Green-Pit-Viper/10.5358/hsj.37.81.short
Strine, C., Silva, I., Barnes, C.H., Marshall, B.M., Artchawakom, T., Hill III, J., and Suwanwaree, P. (2018). Spatial ecology of a small arboreal ambush predator, Trimeresurus macrops Kramer, 1977, in Northeast Thailand. Amphibia- Reptilia 39(3): 335-345. https://brill.com/view/journals/amre/39/3/article-p335_7.xml
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2017
Barnes, C.H., Strine, C.T., Suwanwaree, P., and Hill III, Jacques. 2017. Movement and home range of green pit vipers (Trimeresurus
spp.) in a rural landscape in Northeast Thailand. Herpetological Bulletin. 142:19-28. Featured journal cover photograph by C. Barnes relevant to research article. https://www.thebhs.org/publications/the-herpetological-bulletin/issue-number-142-winter-2017/1078-03-movement-and-home-range-of-green-pit-vipers-i-trimeresurus-i-spp-in-a-rural-landscape-in-north-east-thailand
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Knierim, T., Barnes, C.H., and Hodges, C. 2017. Bungarus fasciatus: diet/scavenging. Herpetological Review 48 (1): 204- 205. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
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Knierim, T., Barnes, C.H., Strine, C.T., Suwanwaree, P., and Farren, W. 2017. Enhydris subtaeniata: diet. Herpetological Review 48 (2): 448-449. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
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Major, T., Knierim, T., Barnes, C., Lonsdale, G., Waengsothorn, S., and Strine, C. 2017. Observations of arboreality in a burrowing frog, the banded bullfrog, Kaloula pulchra (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae). Current Herpetology 36 (2): 148- 152. https://bioone.org/journals/current-herpetology/volume-36/issue-2/hsj.36.148/Observations-of-Arboreality-in-a-Burrowing-Frog-the-Banded-Bullfrog/10.5358/hsj.36.148.short
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2015
Strine, C.T., Barnes, C., Silva, I., Nadolski, B., Artchawakom, T., Hill III, J.G., and Suwanwaree, P. 2015. First Record of Male Combat in a Wild Malayan Pit Viper Calloselasma rhodostoma. Asian Herpetological Research 6 (3): 237- 239. http://www.ahr-journal.com/en/OA/DArticle.aspx?type=view&id=20150023
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Strine, C.T., Silva, I., Nadolski, B., Crane, M., Barnes, C., Artchawakom, T., Hill III, J.G., and Suwanwaree, P. 2015. Sexual dimorphism of tropical Green Pit Viper Trimeresurus (Cryptelytrops) macrops in Northeast Thailand. Amphibia-Reptilia 36 (4): 1- 12. https://brill.com/view/journals/amre/36/4/article-p327_1.xml
