Mauritius boa
| Mauritius boa | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mauritius boa ( Bolyeria multocarinata ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Bolyeria | ||||||||||||
| JE Gray , 1842 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Bolyeria multocarinata | ||||||||||||
| ( Boie , 1827) | ||||||||||||
The Round Island Burrowing Boa ( Bolyeria multocarinata ) is the only species of the genus Bolyeria within the family of bolyeriidae . It is believed to be extinct and was endemic to the small island of Round Island near Mauritius . It must not be confused with the Round Island boa ( Casarea dussumieri ) from the monotypical snake genus Casarea, which still occurs today on Round Island .
description
The Mauritius boa reached a length of 100 cm and had a longitudinally ribbed scale dress. In contrast to other boas, she lacked the pelvic belt . It was characterized by a pointed snout and a cylindrical body and head. The color was brownish.
Habitat and food
The Mauritius boa had an extremely restricted range of only 1.5 km². Their habitat consisted of hardwood forests and palm savannas. It lived in stone fields and in crevices and presumably ate skinks and geckos. In the past, Bolyeria was also known from Mauritius. Here the snake was probably exterminated by pigs.
die out
As early as 1949, the Mauritius boa was considered very rare. She was last seen in 1975. The reason for their disappearance is believed to be habitat loss due to soil erosion caused by overgrazing by goats and rabbits.
literature
- David Day : The Doomsday Book of Animals. A Natural History of Vanished Species. London Edition et al., London 1981, ISBN 0-85223-183-0 .
- Roy W. McDiarmid , Jonathan A. Campbell , T'Śhaka A. Touré: Snake species of the world. A taxonomic and geographic reference. Herpetologists' League, Washington DC 1999, ISBN 1-893777-01-4 .
Web links
- Bolyeria multocarinata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Madagascar Reptile & Amphibian Specialist Group, 1996. Retrieved on 20 August, 2007.
- Bolyeria multocarinata in The Reptile Database
- illustration