The Cuban boa (''Chilabothrus angulifer''), also known as the Cuban tree boa and by locals as ''maja de Santa María'', is a very large

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of snake in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Boidae The Boidae, commonly known as boas or boids, are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. Boas include some of the world's largest snakes, with the green anacond ...

. With lengths exceeding and a relatively heavy build, the Cuban boa is one of the largest snakes in the world. The species is native to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and some nearby islands. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.

Etymology

The genus name ''

Chilabothrus ''Chilabothrus'', commonly known as the Greater Antillean boas or West Indian boas, is a genus of nonvenomous snakes the family Boidae. The genus is endemic to the West Indies. 12 or 14 species are recognized as being valid. Distribution Speci ...

'' is from the Greek ''cheilos'', meaning "lip", ''á'' "without" and ''bothros'' "pits". The specific name originates from the Latin word ''angirlus'', meaning "angle", probably in reference to the angular shapes of the main elements of the dorsal pattern.

Geographic range

''C. angulifer'' is found in Cuba and on adjacent

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

s, including Isla de la Juventud (formerly called Isle of Pines), the

Canarreos Archipelago Canarreos Archipelago () is an archipelago of Cuba. It is located south of the main island of Cuba, in the Caribbean Sea, at . It is bordered to the east by the Gulf of Cazones, to the north by the Gulf of Batabano and to the west by the Los I ...

(Cayo Cantiles), the

Colorados Archipelago The Colorados Archipelago ( es, Archipiélago de los Colorados, also called ''Archipiélago de Santa Isabel'' and ''Archipiélago de Guaniguanico'') is a chain of isles and cays on Cuba's north-western coast. The sea surrounding the islands is u ...

off the northern coast of

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del R� ...

, the

Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago Sabana-Camagüey ( es, Archipiélago de Sabana-Camagüey ) is an archipelago that lies on Cuba's north-central Atlantic coast. It is located off the northern coast of the provinces of Matanzas, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila and ...

(

Cayo Guajaba Cayo Guajaba is a cay on the northern coast of Cuba, in the province of Camagüey. Geography It is part of Jardines del Rey archipelago, and is located west of Cayo Sabinal, east of Cayo Romano, north of The Bay of la Gloria (''Bahia de la Glori ...

and Cayo Sant María). The type locality given is "Cuba".

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of ''C. angulifer'' is

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

of several varieties (rainforest, cloud forest, evergreen forest, semi-deciduous forest, thorn forest, coastal scrub forest), at altitudes from sea level to . It has also been found in sugar cane plantations.

Description

The presence of labial pits, the shortest tail of the entire genus and supralabials separated from the eye result in the Cuban boa being the least derived species of the genus ''Chilabothrus''. It is also the largest member of ''

''. The Cuban boa has a quite massive body, of a size typical for a

boa Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K- ...

python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (pro ...

of far greater length.

Size

''C. angulifer'' is a largest snake in the

and the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

, with specimens exceeding in length and in weight. The largest individual measured long and estimated at more than in mass. Gundlach (1875, 1880) stated that he had seen individuals of about in total length. He also mentioned about one large individual kept in captivity by him had length of and collected at the

Zapata Swamp The Zapata Swamp ( es, Ciénaga de Zapata, ) is located on the Zapata Peninsula in the southern Matanzas Province of Cuba, in the municipality of Ciénaga de Zapata. It is located less than southeast of Havana. Species and preservation Within th ...

, Matanzas Province. Rodríguez (1876) commented that the largest specimens able grow up to long and in diameter. However, in average ''C. angulifer'' reaches in total length.

Coloring

Coloration brown with a pattern of staggered dark brown rhombic spots. Dorsal pattern of 42–65 appressed, angulate, dark brown to black markings on a yellowish to yellow-tan ground, but often (western Cuba) without any dark colors in dorsal pattern, and pattern composed of indeterminate number of medium brown to pale tan, much-fused markings; tail patternless above, or with up to 12 darker dorsal markings.

Scalation

''C. angulifer'' possesses dorsal scale rows at midbody 53–69;

ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

272–292 in males, 268–290 in females; subcaudal scales 45–55 in males, 46–54 in females;

ventrals In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

subcaudals In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...

321–347 in males, 316–339 in females; supralabial scales separated from eye; head scale formula* 3–3–4. ''C. angulifer'' is different from most other species of the genus in that the is usually completely separated from supralabials by a row of lorilabials and few subcaudals.

Behavior

Despite their large size, Cuban boas are semi-arboreal and climb fairly well. They are usually solitary, sometimes intersecting during the mating season.

Diet

''C. angulifer'' is a terrestrial

apex predator An apex predator, also known as a top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, without natural predators of its own. Apex predators are usually defined in terms of trophic dynamics, meaning that they occupy the highest trophic lev ...

along with the

Cuban crocodile The Cuban crocodile (''Crocodylus rhombifer'') is a small-medium species of crocodile endemic to Cuba. Typical length is and typical weight . Large males can reach as much as in length and weigh more than . Despite its smaller size, it is a hig ...

and carnivorous birds. Depending on age, size and health, prey can range from

anurans A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

, lizards,

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

s, aquatic birds (

Gruiformes The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like". Traditionally, a number of wading and terrestrial bird families that did ...

), free-ranging raptors (

Accipitriformes The Accipitriformes (; from Latin ''accipiter''/''accipitri-'' "hawk", and New Latin ''-formes'' "having the form of") are an order of birds that includes most of the diurnal birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, vultures, and kites, but not f ...

Cathartiformes The order Cathartiformes of raptors or birds of prey includes the New World vultures and the now-extinct Teratornithidae. These raptors are classified by most taxonomic authorities in the order Accipitriformes (which includes the eagles and hawk ...

), forest birds (

Columbiformes Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

Cuculiformes Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separa ...

Passeriformes A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

), caged birds (

Galliformes Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are ofte ...

Falconiformes The order Falconiformes () is represented by the extant family Falconidae (falcons and caracaras) and a handful of enigmatic Paleogene species. Traditionally, the other bird of prey families Cathartidae (New World vultures and condors), Sagitt ...

, Psittaciformes), free-ranging poultry ( Anseriformes, Galliformes),

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

bovids The Bovidae comprise the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes cattle, bison, buffalo, antelopes, and caprines. A member of this family is called a bovid. With 143 extant species and 300 known extinct species, the ...

pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

carnivores A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other so ...

, rabbits,

hutia Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands, with most species restricted to Cuba and Hispaniola. Twenty species of hutia have been identified, but at ...

s and rats. As a result of data from the literature and field studies, 351 prey items were recorded in 49 different taxa obtained from 218 snakes.

Warm-blooded Warm-blooded is an informal term referring to animal species which can maintain a body temperature higher than their environment. In particular, homeothermic species maintain a stable body temperature by regulating metabolic processes. The onl ...

(

mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...

and birds) made up 96%, while cold-blooded ( reptiles and amphibians) only 4%. Mammals made up 54.7% of the total prey items consumed, followed by birds (41.3%), while amphibians (2%) and reptiles (2%) made up only a small part of the diet. The prey species most frequently consumed were

domestic fowl The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult ...

(''Gallus domesticus'') (24.8%),

Desmarest's hutia Desmarest's hutia or the Cuban hutia (''Capromys pilorides'') is a stout, furry, rat-like mammal found only on Cuba and nearby islands. Growing to about 60 cm (2 ft), it normally lives in pairs and feeds on leaves, fruit, bark and sometimes small ...

s (''Capromys pilorides'') (14.5%), two

species ( Jamaican fruit-eating bat, ''Artibeus jamaicensis'': 8.8%;

Cuban flower bat The Cuban flower bat (''Phyllonycteris poeyi''), also called Poey's flower bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Hispaniola (in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Descripti ...

, ''Phyllonycteris poeyi'': 6.0%), and black rats (''Rattus rattus'') (7.7%).

Reproduction

''C. angulifer'' is

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...

. Females are biennial breeders and take five or more years to mature. Mating season is normally April though June. Males will mate every year and engage in ritualized combat. Size, not age, determines the female's ability to reproduce. Gestation in the wild is typically 150–180 days. Gestation length appears to reflect the temperatures the females are exposed to while gravid. Parturition normally takes place in September and October. Litter sizes range from 2–22 young in the wild. There appears to be a correlation between the size of the female and litter/neonate size: the larger the female the larger the litters and babies. Neonatal ''C. angulifer'' are among the largest within the family (505–646 mm SVL, 80–237 g). Only neonatal ''

Boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family B ...

'' and ''

Eunectes murinus The green anaconda (''Eunectes murinus''), also known as the giant Emerald anaconda, common anaconda, common water boa or sucuri, is a boa species found in South America. It is the heaviest and one of the longest known extant snake species. Li ...

'' are of comparable sizes.

Maturation

''C. angulifer'' reaches maturation for breeding at three years old for males, and five years old for females. Captive snakes reach breeding maturity at larger sizes than non-captive snakes.

Longevity

In the wild, Cuban boas can live in excess of 30 years. Although the reproductive potential is still poorly understood, long term studies are quantifying the missing or inconclusive data. In captivity, specimens continuously reproduced at the age of 30 plus years.

Conservation status

The

''C. angulifer'', was classified as "Least Concern" (LC) in 2021.