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© Sedgwick County Zoo, credit: Vernon McGee

Jamaican Boa

Epicrates subflavus

*This animal is not on exhibit.

Physical Characteristics

  • The background color is usually a deep tan, pale reddish-brown or olive with many black or partially black scales. The tail is mostly black.
  • Size of average adult
    • length: 6.5 feet

Diet

  • Wild: small mammals ( rodents and bats) and small birds

Behavior

  • Kills its prey by constriction
  • Nocturnal: active at night
  • Both ground dwelling and arboreal
  • Reproduction
    • mating season: February to early April
    • females bear live young from October to December

Environmental/Global

  • Habitat:  moist limestone forests, also found in rock crevices, caves and trees
  • Distribution: scattered localities in Jamaica, including Goat Island
  • Numbers: no estimates available
  • Status: Endangered
    • clearing of forests for agriculture
    • predation by introduced mammals
    • expansion of human population

Research and Investigation

  • Establishment of a studbook
  • Potential candidate for Species Survival Plan (SSP)

Suggested Readings

  • The Natural History of West Indian Boas, P.J. Tolson and R.W. Henderson
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