Round Island Ground Boa

"Caserea" is the genus name for this species, which is of unknown origin. The specific name "dussumieri" honors French naturalist Jean-Jacques Dussumier, who collected snake specimens in the Indian Ocean region.

• Singular: boa

• Plural: boas

Adults of the Round Island boas are slender and reach a maximum total length (including tail) of 150 cm (5 ft). The Mauritius snake males have slimmer, more pointed heads and have shorter bodies than the females. The body is covered in small keeled scales that give the species one of its common names. The genus is unique among extant vertebrates as it has a split jaw (intramaxillary joint that separates anterior and posterior bones), an adaptation that may be advantageous in catching its main prey of geckos and skinks.

The color pattern is dark brown dorsally, the belly being lighter with dark spots. Over a 24-hour period the boa has a shift in color, changing from "dark" during its relatively inactive day time period to "light" in the early evening through to dawn when it is most active. This effect is created through polychromatic skin cells.

It is the only surviving member of the family Bolyeriidae. Its only close relative, the Round Island Burrowing Boa, hasn't been seen since 1975 and is officially extinct. No subspecies are currently recognized.

The Round Island boa is an ambush predator that mostly consumes native lizards like the ornate day gecko and the Round Island skink. Although it lives largely on the ground, it can climb and is frequently found in rocky cracks and the surviving palm woods. Round Island boas can swim, just like most snakes, but they rarely seek out open water because they are island specialists that live on volcanic rocks.

Because they lack the "infrared-sensing pits" found in true boas and pythons, they rely entirely on their chemical senses (tongue-flicking) and vision to hunt.

As a voracious little predator, the Round Island boa is important to its ecology. Their main food sources are small birds, lizards (particularly geckos and skinks), and occasionally small animals. Due to the little amount of wildlife on Round Island, this snake plays a crucial role in maintaining the equilibrium of the food chain.

Reproduction

In Round Island boa, breeding begins during April, although young have been observed throughout the year. A clutch of up to 12 soft-shelled eggs may be laid amongst leaf litter or in hollow palm trunks, and is sometimes attended by the female. Incubation is unusually long for a snake, lasting about 90 days. The young are bright orange at birth and weigh less than 5 grams.

• Is oviparous (egg-laying)

• Snake females lay small clutches (usually 5–10 eggs)

• Boa eggs are deposited in protected, humid environments

• Hatchlings are independent from birth

When its lizard food is sleeping or nocturnal geckos are active, the Round Island boa is most active at night. Despite being a boa, this species posed little threat to humans because it was gentle, non-aggressive, and more inclined to run away than protect itself from predators. The Mauritian snake usually exhibits little defensive response when handled (in research settings).

Threats

The Round Island boa is classified as Vulnerable status on the IUCN Red List for the following criteria. This means that, although it is not critically endangered, for some time it has faced a very high risk of extinction in the wild. In 1996 the population was estimated to number less than 250 mature individuals.

• Habitat degradation.

• Illegal or unregulated wildlife trade.

• Road mortality in some regions.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (VU)

Conservation Efforts

Recent conservation efforts have seen an increase in the number of adult Round Island boas to around 1,000. This has been achieved by eradicating goats and rabbits from the island and restoring natural habitat, which has led to an increase of the Round Island boas' natural prey, lizards. In recent breeding efforts, Round Island boas in captivity have been fed by scenting small mice with chicken thigh meat.

• Captive breeding has reduced pressure on wild populations.

• Protection depends heavily on local habitat conservation.

• Anti-poaching enforcement.

• Rescue and rehabilitation centers.

• Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

The Round Island boa is known to survive on Round Island, but has been recorded on the islands of Gunner's Quoin, Flat Island, Ile de la Pas, and on mainland Mauritius (as subfossil remains). Between 11 and 31 October 2012 the boa was reintroduced into Gunner's Quoin as part of a joint collaborative project involving the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, and the National Parks and Conservation Service of Mauritius.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People," or Terrans from Earth, brought the Round Island boa to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Berbania from Ursa Major and Reinachos from Cygnus. Despite the death of our planet, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. The Round Island boa became an invasive species as a result of human interactions for game hunting and rewilding. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, the sand boa lived in conditions and climates identical to those of Earth.

• Movement Pattern: Random

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Increasing

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Terrestrial

• Habitat: Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Mauritius

• Berbania: Thirenha

• Reinachos: Pascua

Due to their stupidity, the Round Island boa as pets was legally unfeasible. Since they are included in CITES Appendix I, commercial trade is strictly forbidden. Only extremely sophisticated conservation facilities are used to house them.

Coming soon

Coming soon

• The Round Island boa is the rarest snake in the world, only found in Mauritius' Iles de Ronde.

• This species is part of a two-species family, one of which is extinct.

• These snakes survived severe ecological collapse on their tiny island, and they were considered a “relict species” from ancient snake evolution.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Island_boa

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Island_boa

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3989/152276140

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Round-Island-Ground-Boa-1194264483