Madagascar ground boa  (Acrantophis madagascariensis)

This beautifully patterned boa constrictor is Madagascar's largest snake (4). With diamond-like markings on its back (5), in subtle shades of brown and orange, this species is perfectly camouflaged in the leafy environment of the forest floor (4). The Madagascar ground boa is a member of the Boidae family, characterised by large, non-poisonous snakes that often appear to have claws that are in fact vestigial hind limbs (6). The presence of these claws is used for sexual differentiation in this species, since they only occur in males (2).

Northern and western Madagascar and the island of Nosy Be (7).

Lowland open woodlands, often in the proximity of water, up to 576 m (4) (8) (9).

Boa constrictors kill their prey by coiling their body around the victim and suffocating it to death, before stretching their jaw to swallow it whole. Boas use their forked tongues to trail their prey, collecting particles from the air and passing them to the Jacobson's organ in their mouth, which can detect distinct chemical compounds. They also possess heat sensory organs that allow them to hunt, or to detect danger, even in the dark. The diet in the wild consists of birds, chickens, lizards, rats and a variety of other mammals (5).

Boas breed shortly after the rainy season (5) and, after a gestation period of four to six months, females give birth to 10 to 25 live young of around 30 cm (2).

This magnificent boa faces the same threats shared by most of Madagascar's wildlife, namely a rapidly increasing human population and the corresponding destruction of forests to make way for farming and industry (9). In some cases, Chinese people in Madagascar collect boas for consumption as food. These strikingly patterned snakes have also been attractive to both the pet market and the leather industry, with reports of a collection of boas in the Marovoay area to supply a domestic leather trade (8).

Due to their popularity in the pet market and the leather industry, large snakes have received particular attention by international trade regulation. The inclusion of the Madagascar ground boa under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) strictly regulates their export from Madagascar and import into other countries. As long as international trade is prohibited or regulated, internal trade and consumption by humans is thought unlikely to constitute a serious danger to these animals (8).

For further information on the Madagascar ground boa see:

WhoZoo: Animals of the Fort Worth Zoo:
http://whozoo.org/Intro2001/rossthom/RYT_MadGroundBoa.htm

Vences, M. & Glaw, F. (2003) Phylogeography, systematics and conservation status of boid snakes from Madagascar (Sanzinia and Acrantophis). Salamandra, Rheinbach, 39: 181 – 206. Available at:
http://www.mvences.de/p/p2/Vences_B83.pdf

Authenticated (10/02/2006) by Dr. Tony Phelps, Squamate Ecologist and founder of the Cape Reptile Institute.
http://www.crepinstitute.co.za/