Brown treesnakes are an invasive species causing huge environmental and financial damage in Guam. Researchers captured 504 brown treesnakes on Guam's Andersen Air Force Base. The distribution of brown treesnake weights was clearly right-skewed. On average, the snakes weighed 121 g (standard error of the mean, SEM = 3 g) and ranged from 23 to 663 g at capture. What is a 95% confidence interval for the mean weight of brown treesnakes in Guam, approximately?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The 95% confidence interval for the mean weight of brown treesnakes in Guam can be calculated using the formula for the confidence interval: mean ± (critical value * SEM). Assuming a normal distribution, the critical value for a 95% confidence interval is approximately 1.96. Thus, the interval is 121 ± (1.96 * 3), which calculates to 121 ± 5.88, or approximately 115.1 to 126.9 g.

Brown Treesnakes Are an Invasive Species Causing Huge Environmental and Financial