Death of Boa constrictor amarali (serpentes, boidae) after ingestion of a tree porcupine (rodentia)

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to report the death of a Boa constrictor amarali after ingestion of a tree porcupine. The animal was donated to the Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP/UNESP) - and died in captivity. At necropsy, spine-like structures were observed in the stomach serosa and vicinity, and the stomach mucosa showed an intense reddish area, suggesting inflammation. The analysis of the spine-like structure revealed that they were tree porcupine spines. The feeding habits and inexperience of this Boa constrictor amarali in selecting its prey may have been be responsible for its death

Determinação de hemogregarina em Boa constrictor constrictor mantidos em cativeiro

“…A serpente que apresentava nódulos pelo corpo e aquela que se encontrava desidratada e com carrapatos, foram as que apresentaram grau de infecção classiϐicado como grave (Fig.3 Cherubini et al (2003), é a única encontrada nesta região. De acordo com relatos de Machado (2005), o local e o clima bem como a espécie, parecem inϐluenciar no achado ou não de hemogregarina nas serpentes.…”

Phylogenetic Relationships of New World Porcupines (Rodentia, Erethizontidae): Implications for Taxonomy, Morphological Evolution, and Biogeography

“…High in the canopy, Neotropical porcupines are perhaps safe from most nonavian predators, but they are probably more vulnerable on the ground. Swollen nasofrontal sinuses may confer an adaptive advantage for Coendou species that often descend to the ground for geophagy (Montenegro, 2004;Blake et al, 2011) or to cross canopy gaps (Montgomery and lubin, 1978), where they might be exposed to terrestrial predators such as pumas (Chinchilla, 1997;Novack et al, 2005;Foster et al, 2010) and large boas (Cherubini et al, 2003;duarte, 2003).…”

“…Recent New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) are arboreal caviomorph rodents that defend themselves with dangerous quills and eat leaves, bark, fruit, and immature seeds (Charles-dominique et al, 1981;Roze, 1989;Chiarello et al, 1997;Emmons, 1997;Cherubini et al, 2003;Passamani, 2010). With the exception of one boreal North american species, erethizontids occur in tropical and subtropical habitats from southern Mexico to northern argentina.…”

Prickly food: snakes preying upon porcupines

“…Boidae and Viperidae were the two families with most records for this encounter type, and Boa constrictor was the species most frequently recorded (Table 1). In one instance, the porcupine quills pierced the stomach and body walls of the Boa constrictor amarali (Cherubini et al 2003). Snakes recorded meeting porcupines are diurnal, crepuscular/nocturnal, or both, but only in Spilotes pullatus mexicanus (Köhler and Seipp 1999) the time of behavioral context was recorded.…”

“…The consequences for a snake swallowing a prey armed with quills may be hazardous or even mortal. However, chemical, visual, and tactile stimuli apparently do not preclude predation on porcupines by Boa constrictor (Tschambers 1949, Cherubini et al 2003, Python reticulatus (Shine et al 1998) and Spilotes pullatus mexicanus (Köhler and Seipp 1999). Notwithstanding the snakes' sensorial tactics and some degree of diet versatility (Greene 1997), I suggest that porcupines are not rejected by these predators as a potentially hazardous prey, and may even be recognized as an "ordinary", large rodent.…”