Round Island boa
| Round Island boa | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Bolyeriidae |
| Genus: |
Casarea Gray, 1842 |
| Species: | C. dussumieri |
| Binomial name | |
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Casarea dussumieri (Schlegel, 1837) |
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| Synonyms | |
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The Round Island boa (Casarea dussumieri), also known as the Round Island keel-scaled boa and the Round Island ground boa, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Bolyeriidae, in the monotypic genus Casarea. It is endemic to Round Island, Mauritius. No subspecies are currently recognized.
The specific name, dussumieri, is in honor of Jean-Jacques Dussumier, a French merchant, ship owner, and collector of zoological specimens.
Adults of Casarea dussumieri are slender and reach a maximum total length (including tail) of 150 cm (5 ft). The 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 (intramaxilliary joint that separates anteria and posteria bones), an adaptation that may be advantageous in catching its main prey of geckos and skinks.
The colour pattern is dark brown dorsally, the belly being lighter with dark spots. Over a 24-hour period the boa has a shift in colour, 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.
C. dussumieri 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).
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