Doug Jeffries found this snake one morning on his recent bonefishing trip to Long Island in the Bahamas with Angling Destinations' host Bjorn Stromsness. If anyone can make a positive identification of this little boa, please let us know.
Doug said, "It was a cool little snake, all curled up next to one of the coolers. Samantha [the manager of the lodge] squealed when she saw it. I hadn't heard of the Bahamian pygmy python (I had mentioned this as a possible identification option). Now I have to research that. I thought the Bahamas didn't have any endemic snakes and they were all immigrants that came on boats and stuff."
[I think there are two endemic boas in the Bahamas: the pygmy boa and the Bahamian Boa]. Can anybody help us identify this snake?
C'mon, some one who truly knows their Bahamian reptiles has to comment here. I found this Fact Sheet from the High Commission http://www.bahamashclondon.net/uploads/Fact_Sheet_on_Fauna.pdf . It confirms there are a few endemic snakes including the pygmy boa and the Bahamian boa.
ReplyDeleteThis link lists a few more snake species (but I can't confirm they are actual different species or just "thought to be" separate species. Check out the photo of what they call a Bimini boa, looks real close to the one we caught.
This site states there are 3 distinct species of Bahamian boa and 8 sub-species. http://www.bnt.bs/Bahamian-boa-constrictor
My conclusion is we found a small Bahamian boa. I saw a much larger specimen of what I believe is the same species eating a red shouldered hawk on Andros' Middle Bight back in the 1980's.
This kinda brings that snake you saw on Mangrove Cay full circle. That snake was probably not off a ship, but was a big Bimini Boa which is what I think you had on Long Island.
ReplyDeleteDanny Thought this in an e-mail to me:
The snake Doug is holding looks like what we call a "Bimini Boa". I've only seen a couple. A friend of mine in South Florida had one growing up. I believe they are pretty rare. Danny.
Hi, My name is Zachary Knowles Bahamian reptile expert and that snake you have is the Bahamian boa constrictor
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