Sexual maturation in free-ranging Chilabothrus angulifer (Serpentes: Boidae)

Rodríguez-Cabrera, Tomás M.; López, Javier Torres; Marrero, Ruben; Savall, Ernesto Morell; Ochotorena, Ana Sanz

doi:10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v15i2p163-174

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…The growth rate of cave-associated boas seems to be low compared to other large constrictors (Smith 1999;Madsen and Shine 2000;Reed and Rodda 2009;Rodríguez-Cabrera et al 2016b). Recaptured boas that were marked as juveniles (<700 mm SVL) showed an average growth rate of 0.5 mm/ day.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…The situation in Cuban Boas might be similar. Additionally, large boas, especially pregnant females, might exploit bat caves as resting sites to facilitate thermoregulation, and not necessarily as feeding grounds (Rodríguez-Cabrera et al 2016b; see also Puente-Rolón and Bird-Picó 2004 and Puente-Rolón 2012 for similar observations of Puerto Rican Boas, Ch. inornatus).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Cuban Boas seem to show a high fidelity to sites with abundant and stable food resources. Rodríguez-Cabrera et al (2016b) recaptured eight marked individuals associated with a hot cave in central Cuba three (n = 2), six (n = 3), nine (n = 1), and 12 (n = 1) months after being marked, and one was recaptured twice (during the 3rd and 9th months). On 23 January 2012, 14 boas were marked in "Erophylla Cave," northwest of Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus Province.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To test the hypothesis that an ontogenetic shift in diet occurs in Ch. angulifer, we grouped boas into four size classes: (1) Juveniles (<1.0 m SVL), (2) subadults and small adults (1.0-2.0 m SVL; sexual maturation occurs within this size range: ~1.15 m SVL in males, ~1.3 m SVL in females; Rodríguez-Cabrera et al 2016b), (3) medium-sized adults (>2.0-3.0 m SVL), and (4) large adults (>3.0 m SVL). Hardy (1957) did not provide the exact sizes of five snakes preying on bats; we placed them in the subadult/small adult category based on an estimated mean value derived from the range in sizes of the snakes he studied (see Appendix I).…”

Section: B -1mentioning

confidence: 99%

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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: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: B -1mentioning

confidence: 99%

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