Round-Island-Boa

Round - Iceland - Boa ( Casarea dussumieri )

The round- Iceland - Boa ( Casarea dussumieri ), also referred to as Kielschuppenboa, is the only species of the genus within the family of Casarea Bolyerschlangen. It is endemic to the small island of Iceland Round in Mauritius. It must not be confused with the presumably extinct Mauritiusboa ( Bolyeria multocarinata ) from the monotypic snake genus Bolyeria, which also was found only on Round Iceland. The round- Iceland - boa is an endangered species and is one of the rarest snakes in the world.

Description

The round- Iceland - Boa is a slender snake, which reaches a length up to 150 cm. The top is dark brown. The underside is lighter and has dark swab. The scale pattern consists of keeled scales.

Distribution and habitat

The habitat of the round- Iceland - Boa is limited to the small island round Iceland in Mauritius. Previously, she lived in the tropical hardwood forests and in Palm savanna. Today, it occurs only in a small savannah area with sparse Palm stocks.

Way of life

The round- Iceland - Boa is predominantly nocturnal and feeds on endemic skinks and geckos. Juveniles and males sometimes live in trees. About their breeding biology, little is known. It is believed that the breeding season begins in April, although young snakes are observed throughout the year. The nest consists of twelve soft-shelled eggs and is probably in hollow palm trunks or foliage. After a relatively long incubation period of 90 days hatch, the young snakes that weigh about 5 grams at birth and have a light orange tint coat of scales.

Endangering

90 % of the original hardwood forest on Round Iceland was cleared and had to give arable land. Around the year 1840 Rabbits and goats were introduced to Iceland Round, which destroyed the vegetation very strong and thus contributed to soil erosion. Several plant species, which offered the endemic species such as the skinks or snakes and habitat protection, so are extinct or extremely rare. From the former botanical wealth of the island, only a scanty remnant is left, which is also threatened by tropical storms. The goats and rabbits were removed in the 1980s on the initiative of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation of the island. Today, perhaps about 500 adult snakes on Round Iceland live ( with an estimated total population of about 1,000 copies ).