Bat predation by the Dominica Boa (Boa nebulosa)

Angin, Baptiste

doi:10.31611/ch.51

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…8.vi.2020; see also Hardy 1957 for relatively large boas associated with a bat cave). Similarly, Angin (2014) observed a Dominica Boa (Boa nebulosa; ca. 3.0 m total length) using a similar strategy to capture a flying Antillean Fruit-eating Bat at a cave entrance in Dominica.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Trophic Ecology of the Cuban Boa, Chilabothrus angulifer (Boidae)

Rodríguez-Cabrera¹,

Savall²,

Rodríguez-Machado

et al. 2020

RandA

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The Cuban Boa (Chilabothrus angulifer) is a top terrestrial predator in Cuba. References to prey species consumed by this boa date to when the first Europeans arrived in the region more than 500 years ago. However, long-term studies on its trophic ecology do not exist. The scarce and scattered records on its feeding habits indicate that this boa preys on a variety of native and domestic animals. Based on dietary information collected in the field and from the literature, we characterized the diet of this snake and tested four different hypotheses: (1) The Cuban Boa is a generalist predator; (2) the diets of boas in natural and anthropogenic habitats differ; (3) an ontogenetic shift in diet occurs; and (4) foraging strategies used in natural and anthropogenic habitats differ. We identified 49 prey species from 351 prey items obtained from 218 snakes, including 71 items (31 snakes) from the literature. Mammals represented 55% of total prey items consumed, followed by birds (41%) and ectotherms (4%). Chilabothrus angulifer exhibited a narrow niche breadth. However, rather than a trophic specialist, we consider this boa an opportunistic generalist predator, capable of adjusting its diet and foraging behavior according to prey availability and abundance. The diet of Ch. angulifer changed dramatically from mostly native mammals and birds in natural habitats to mostly livestock, pets, and human commensals in human-altered habitats. Also, mammals were consumed more frequently in natural habitats, whereas birds dominated the diet of boas associated with anthropogenic habitats. Few ectotherms were consumed in either type of habitat. We observed an ontogenetic shift in diet, but this primarily reflected a trend of consuming larger prey rather than a shift from ectotherms to endotherms as reported for some other boids. In natural habitats, Ch. angulifer used both ambush and active-foraging modes by day and night, whereas in anthropogenic situations, most boas used an active-foraging strategy at night. The frequent consumption of domestic animals by Cuban Boas might be the principal reason for the historical human-wildlife conflict involving this species in rural areas of Cuba.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Trophic Ecology of the Cuban Boa, Chilabothrus angulifer (Boidae)

Rodríguez-Cabrera¹,

Savall²,

Rodríguez-Machado

et al. 2020

RandA

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“…However, the size of the Boa fossil remains is far greater than those of other vertebrates collected in the three investigated deposits (Stouvenot et al, 2014;Bailon et al, 2015;Bochaton et al, 2015b), and the absence of breakage and digestion traces on these remains raises doubts about their prey status (Bailon et al, 2015). Their occurrence in caves most likely reflects predation on bats by Boa snakes, which is known to be common in mainland Boa (Thomas, 1974) and was also observed in B. nebulosa from Dominica (Angin, 2014) and Boa orophias from Saint Lucia (Arendt and Anthony, 1986). This hypothesis, provides no obvious explanation for the absence of large specimens in cave deposits because this hunting activity is not restricted to small FIGURE 7.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Boa specimens (Angin, 2014). The size of insular snakes is known to be strongly influenced by the size of available prey (Boback, 2003;Boback et al, 2003;Keogh et al, 2005;Tanaka, 2011), and the dwarf status of the Marie-Galante specimens could be easily explained by the lack of large terrestrial prey, as indicated by the Marie-Galante fossil record (Stouvenot et al, 2014;Bailon et al, 2015;Bochaton et al, 2015b;Stoetzel et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new fossil species ofBoaLinnaeus, 1758 (Squamata, Boidae), from the Pleistocene of Marie-Galante Island (French West Indies)

Bochaton

Bailón

2018

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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ABSTRACT-Several studies have reported the occurrence of fossil remains of a now extinct Boa snake from the upper Pleistocene of Marie-Galante Island, French West Indies. However, these remains have never been fully investigated and no complete description of this possible new species has been published. In this paper, we try to bridge this gap by providing a detailed morphological study of the Boa remains discovered in the three major fossil deposits of Marie-Galante Island. Our study reveals the specific morphological aspects of this fossil snake and allows us to identify it as a new species, Boa blanchardensis. We also reconstructed its body size, carried out a paleohistological investigation, and suggest that this snake may have been a dwarf species. We then discuss the possible explanation for the extinction of this snake on Marie-Galante Island and possibly also on other Guadeloupe islands.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank

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Bat predation by the Dominica Boa (Boa nebulosa)

Cited by 2 publications

References 4 publications

Trophic Ecology of the Cuban Boa, Chilabothrus angulifer (Boidae)

Trophic Ecology of the Cuban Boa, Chilabothrus angulifer (Boidae)

A new fossil species ofBoaLinnaeus, 1758 (Squamata, Boidae), from the Pleistocene of Marie-Galante Island (French West Indies)

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