Scientific Name : Acrantophis dumerili

Geographic Range : Southwestern Madagascar


Habitat :
Sparse Open Woodland


Diet In The Wild :
Wild small animals such as birds, lizards, and frogs


Conservation Status :
Endangered.


Location at The Zoo :
Herpetarium

Physical description:

Dumeril's boa has a gray-brown ground color with darker patches. The patchy pattern offers camouflage against the leaf-strewn forest floor.

It usually grows to lengths up to about 220cm, but larger individuals have been reported.  

It has the vertical pupils of a nocturnal animal.

Lifespan: up to 30 years in captivity.

General Information:

Dumeril's boa is a nocturnal hunter. It seems to prefer smaller animals like birds and lizards. Like other boas, it subdues its prey by constriction, which prevents the prey from breathing.

Scent gland release a mixture of organic acids that may serve as pheromones.

African boas are related to South American boas. Another large African boid is the Madagascar ground boa.

Reproductive information:

Males usually have longer flatter tails, while females have bigger bodies (used in order to store eggs).

Sexual maturity is reached between 3 and 5 years of age. Males have "spurs" (vestigial hind limbs) used for courtship.

Their mating season is March through May. Males have two penises (these are called hemipenes). Boas are live bearers; a small litter of babies is born 6 to 8 months after mating.

                                                                                  

 

Liliane Yovanovitch:


Liliane Yovanovitch: cheergirl92001@yahoo.com

Sources and Links:
Dumeril's Boa Fact Sheet:
http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/day/dumeril.htm

Dumeril's Ground Boa (Sedgwick County Zoo)
www.scz.org/animals/b/dgboa.html
www.szgdocent.org/cc/c-love.html

Dumeril's Ground Boa (Akron Zoo)
http://www.akronzoo.org/learn/dumerils.asp

Dumeril's Ground Boa (Reptile Rooms)
http://www.reptilerooms.com/Sections+
index-req-viewarticle-artid-64-page-1.html

African-Python website:
www.african-python.de/dumerili.html

Simpson, et al. Identification of major lipids from the scent gland secretions of Dumeril's ground boa (Acrantophis dumerili Jan) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=
Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3245880&dopt=Abstract

 


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