ANIMAL: Dumeril’s Boa Acrantophis dumerili Type of Animal: Boa/Python Habitat: Dry/semi-arid forest, thornbush, savanna, villages, eucalyptus forest, tropical forest, woodland, grassland, open forest Location(s): S & SW Madagascar & Mascarene Islands Appearance: Females larger than males, males have longer skinnier tails, gray-brown ground color w/ dark patches, heavy bodied, mottled coloration, some individuals have pink or copper on them, glossy black markings around mouth, patterns of brown, tan, & black Food/Diet: Rodents, birds, lemurs, lizards, tenrecs, mongooses, bats, other snakes (including smaller members of own species) Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding from zoos, wildlife parks, aquariums, & reptile breeders Lifestyle: Solitary Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young-Snakelet Group-Solitary Weight: Male- 15 lbs Female- 20 lbs Gestation: 4-8 months Life Span: 20-25 years Body Length: Male- 4-5 ft Female- 6-7 ft Young- 2.5 ft Tail Length: Male- 1.7 ft Female- 1.5 ft Main predators of adults are fossas, introduced dogs, & introduced cats. Raptors, snakes (including larger members of own species), small mammals, & pigs eat young. Like most other boas, females give birth to 2-21 live young. Sexually mature at 3 years old. Prey killed by constricting & swallowing whole. Potential threats are pet trade, deforestation, habitat loss, development, livestock grazing, hunting for meat/leather, & persecution due to chicken predation & belief that snake is bad luck. Blends in very well w/ leaf litter in their habitat. Males use anal spurs to tickle/stimulate female. They’re ambush predators, hunting at night. During daytime, they often shelter in mammal burrows, tree roots, fallen logs, and/or debris piles. Hibernates in cooler months of May-July. Fun Fact(s): Can detect vibrations in ground & sound vibrations through air via jawbone. Named after French herpetologist Andre Marie Constant Dumeril. Often very docile snakes. They detach whole lower jaw to swallow large prey.
