The Guam rail is a flightless bird found on the island of Guam. It builds a shallow nest on the ground and lays eggs throughout the year. There are no native species of snakes in Guam, so the Guam rail had no experience with snake predators until the brown tree snake was accidentally introduced sometime between 1944 and 1952. These snakes, which eat a wide variety of animal species, quickly established a large population on Guam.
How was the Guam rail most likely affected by the introduction of the brown tree snake?
A) The brown tree snake ate only species that lived in trees, so it had no effect on the Guam rail.
B) The Guam rail quickly developed the ability to fly in order to escape from the brown tree snake.
C) The population of the Guam rail declined, and the species nearly became extinct. D) The Guam rail began to build its nests in trees.
