THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Female coils around her eggs providing extra
heat. She gives birth to 4-39 young, each about
80 cm in length.
Mortality/Longevity: Lives to over 29 years.
Conservation status: Not yet strongly threatened.
Rarely harvested for meat. Skin trade
light in most of its range. Not a popular pet
due to its size and “nasty” disposition.
Remarks: Can remained submerged for a very
long time lying in wait for its next meal.
Our specimen is a female. She is now (2008) 3
m long and weighs 90 lbs. In 3 0r 4 years, she’s
expected to be about 6 m long!
Madagascar Tree Boa
Sanzinia madagascariensis (Boidae)
Boas
Distribution: Endemic to Nosy Be, (an
island on the northwest coast of Madagascar)
and throughout the island of Madagascar,
excluding the very southwest corner.
Habitat: Live in a variety of forest habitats,
ranging from lowland tropical forests, to
humid upland forests, to dry forests.
Appearance: Occurs in 2 color variations;
those in the eastern part of the range are green
to grayish-green, while in some parts of the
western range they are yellow, orange, and
brown. The green variety is somewhat smaller
than the western form. Max length: about 2 m.
Females are larger than males.
Diet: Hunt at night, feeding on small mammals
and birds. They use heat sensitive pits around
their mouths to hunt for warm-blooded animals
in darkness. Once captured, they use powerful
muscles to constrict the prey, decreasing blood
return to the heart or oxygen intake. Prey die
from cardiovascular or respiratory collapse.
Boas are not venomous.
Reproduction and Development: Viviparous
(like all boas), usually bearing less than a dozen
bright red young. Gestation lasts 6 months and
the offspring are about 25cm long. During the
first year of life, they attain adult coloration.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable on IUCN
Red List (2003), Listed on Appendix 1 of
CITES. Although the Madagascar tree boa
is part of a captive breeding program, it
is threatened by loss of habitat. Only 10%
to 20% of the original primary forest of
Madagascar still exists.
California Academy of Sciences
217
Remarks: Although called a “tree boa” it is less
arboreal than most other tree snakes, primarily
using trees for hunting. They are probably best
described as part-time arboreals.
The bright red color of the newborn may be
aposematic mimicry, warning predators to stay
away, even though boas are not venomous.
Black-headed Python
Aspidites melanocephalus (Pythonidae)
Pythons
Distribution: Northern Territory, Queensland,
Western Australia.
Habitat: Open woodlands, shrublands,
outcrops, humid coastal forests, and
seasonally-dry tropical woodlands. Not
found in very arid regions. Found among
rocks and loose debris.
Appearance: A large snake with maximum
length of 2.5 m, though 1.5 to 2 m more
common. Head covered with shiny black
scales; body a striped or brindled pattern in
shades of black and gray brown, gold and
cream. Juveniles more vividly marked. Females
larger than males.
Diet: Other reptiles; small mammals, especially
rodents. Active at night.
Reproduction and Development: Oviparous,
with 5–10 eggs per clutch, incubated by female,
who coils around the eggs and aggressively
protects them for 2–3 months until they hatch.
Reproductively mature at 4–5 years.
Mortality/Longevity: Adults have no natural
predators besides dingos and humans;
juveniles are subject to predation, including
cannibalism.
Conservation Status: Though the species is
unlisted, little is known about its numbers.
Remarks: Like all pythons, a non-venomous
species that kills by constriction.
Because of its docility and handsome markings,
the black-headed python is prized by collectors.
To save energy during the dry season when
food and water are scarce, pythons reduce their
body temperature.
Can dig and live in burrows to escape daytime
heat. Small, streamlined head and nonprotrusive
eyes may be adaptations to entering
burrows and hollows.
Valued by Aborigines as a Dream Time animal.