The Jamaican Boa (Epicrates subflavus)
Our Habitat continues our series on endangered species in Jamaica this week, with a look at the Jamaican Boa, also known as the yellow snake. Have questions, comments?
E-mail williamsp@jamaicaobserver.com.
THE Jamaican Boa, like several other endangered species on the island, stirs fear in many of those who cross its path.
The species is usually deep tan with a pale reddish-brown or olive with black scales. It can grow close to between seven and 10 feet long and feeds on a steady diet of small mammals, such as rodents and bats. Small birds may also form part of its diet.
The Boa are most active at nights (nocturnal) and kill their prey through constriction. Their mating season is said to be between February and early April, with females giving birth to their young between October and December.
Habitat
Reports, according to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), suggest that there is a wide distribution of Boas across Jamaica. They have been seen in the Blue Mountains, Clarendon, the Cockpit Country, Hellshire Hills (which is also home to the Jamaican Iguana), Portland Ridge, Southern St Thomas and St Elizabeth. They dwell not only on the ground, but also in trees, inside moist limestone forests, rock crevices, caves and trees.
Threats to the Boa
There are a variety of threats to the Jamaican Boa. Those threats include:
. the clearing of forests for agriculture;
. the burning of canefields;
. predation by introduced species such as dogs, feral cats and mongoose, which consume their young; and
. outright killing out of fear and the mistaken belief that they are poisonous.
Against this background, the species is protected not only under the local Wild Life and Protection Act but it is also listed under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fuana and Flora. It is also protected under the Forest Act of 1996.
Why do they require protection?
Boas have always been considered rare, by virtue of their secretive and largely nocturnal habits. The status of the species is unknown, with most of the available information on the occurrence of this species limited to encounters with outlying village communities and/or cultivation areas.
Sources:
www.nrca.org/yourenv/biodiversity/Species/jamaican_boa.htm; and www.scz.org/animals/b/jboa.html
