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Dumerils Boa

Acrantophis dumerili

Status: Vulnerable

Range: Southwest Madagascar

Habitat: Forest

Diet: small mammals

 

Creature Feature: Dumeril's boa, also known as the Madagascar ground boa, is a striking snake that grows up to 1.8 m in length. Like most members of the Boa snake family, it is a fairly chunky or stout snake with grey and brown bands along the length of the body, with black markings.

It has no venom and inhabits dry forests, often close to villages, where it presumably feeds on rats. Dumeril's boa kills small mammals by constricting the prey in coils of its body. They tend to hunt at night and posses heat sensitive pits around the mouth that help them to detect their prey. Boas give birth to live young.

Threats include the widespread habitat destruction for agriculture or livestock grazing, collection for food and the skins are used for leather. This snake is highly desirable in the pet trade and so international trade in wild specimens i

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Uploaded on June 13, 2011
Taken on January 1, 2004