Bahamian pygmy boa constrictor
The Bahamian pygmy boa constrictor (Tropidophis canus), also commonly called simply the Bahamian pygmy boa or the Bahama wood snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Tropidophiidae. The species is native to the Bahamas. The snake's total length (including tail) is short, averaging between 30 cm (12 in) and 60 cm (24 in). The Bahamian pygmy boa has the abilities to voluntarily bleed and to coil into a tight ball as defense mechanisms. Four subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies, and occur across many different Bahamian Islands.
| Tropidophis canus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Tropidophiidae |
| Genus: | Tropidophis |
| Species: | T. canus |
| Binomial name | |
| Tropidophis canus (Cope, 1868) | |
| Subspecies | |
|
Four recognized, see text | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
Physical
Like all species of pygmy boas the Bahamian pygmy boa is a rather small snake averaging between 30 cm (12 in) and 60 cm (24 in) in total length.[2][3] The snake has the ability to change color through the movement of its dark pigment granules. Depending on the time of the day, a light or dark color may provide better camouflage.[2] The Bahamian pygmy boa has a yellow-orange tail tip, which is likely used to lure unsuspecting prey.[2] In the 1960s herpetologists Schwartz and March recorded an ontogenetic change within the populations of all four subspecies.[4] Juvenile snakes were reportedly spotted with dark blotches on a lighter ground color, while adults were only faintly spotted with a less prominent body color.[4]
Behavior
The Bahamian pygmy boa is mostly inactive during daytime hours, usually coming out at night.[2] Most dwarf boas are terrestrial, meaning they live and breathe on earth, and rest underground or in vegetation. A few have adapted to being arboreal.[2][3] Young boas live in trees and shrubs and feed mostly on anole lizards. Adult boas feed on frogs, birds and rats.[5] If threatened, the snake has been observed to coil up into a tight ball similar to that of a ball python.[2] On Andros Island the species is known as the "shame snake" because of this defensive tactic.[2] It also has the ability to voluntarily bleed from its eyes, mouth, and nostrils.[2][3][6]
Taxonomy
Subspecies
- Tropidophis canus androsi Stull, 1928 - Native to Andros Island.[3]
- Tropidophis canus barbouri Bailey, 1937 - Native to Eleuthera Island, Long Island, Cat Island, Exuma Cays, and the Ragged Islands.[3]
- Tropidophis canus canus (Cope, 1868) - Native to Great Inagua Island.[3]
- Tropidophis canus curtus (Garman, 1887) - Native to New Providence, Bimini Island, and Cay Sal Bank.[3][6]
References
- "Tropidophis canus ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- "Snakes". Ardastra Zoological Gardens. Archived from the original on 2010-04-12. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- Schwartz, Albert; Henderson, Robert W. (1991). Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. ISBN 0-8130-1049-7.
- de Sa, Rafael O. (2005). "Global Biodiversity Crisis: Genetic Diversity and Amphibian Extinction" (PDF). Richmond, Virginia: University of Richmond. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-04-10. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - "Bahamian Boa Constrictor".
- "Reptiles of Bimini". University of Miami. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
Further reading
- Bailey JR (1937). "A review of some recent Tropidophis material". Proc. New England Zool. Club 16: 41-52. (Tropidophis pardalis barbouri, new subspecies, p. 49).
- Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Boidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (Ungalia cana, p. 114).
- Cope ED (1868). "An examination of the REPTILIA and BATRACHIA obtained by the Orton Expedition to Equador [sic] and the Upper Amazon, with notes on other Species". Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 20: 96-140. (Ungalia cana, new species, p. 129).
- Garman S (1887). "On West Indian Reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Cambridge, Mass." Proc. American Philosoph. Soc. 24: 278-286. (Ungualia curta, new species, p. 279).
- Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Tropidophis canus, pp. 191–192).
- Stull OG (1928). "A Revision of the Genus Tropidophis ". Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan (195): 1-52. (Tropidophis pardalis androsi, new subspecies, pp. 34–35).