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Boid
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 anaconda of South America being the heaviest and second-longest snake known; in general, adults are medium to large in size, with females usually larger than the males. Five subfamilies, comprising 12 genera and 49 species, are currently recognized. The Old Tupi name for such snakes was mbói, which figures in the etymology of names such as ''jibóia'' and ''boitatá'' (the Brazilian name for the mythical giant anaconda). Description Like the pythons, boas have elongated supratemporal bones. The quadrate bones are also elongated, but not as much, while both are capable of moving freely so when they swing sideways to their maximum extent, the distance between the hinges of the lower jaw is greatly increased.Parker HW, Grandison AGC. 1977. Snakes � ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads ( cranial kinesis). To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca. Lizards have evolved elongate bodies without limbs or with greatly reduced limbs about twenty-five times independently via convergent evolution, leading to many lineages of legless lizards. These resemble snakes, but several common groups of legless lizards have eyelids and external ears, which snakes lack, although this rule is not universal (see Amphisbae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Boidae, found in tropical South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive. Four subspecies are currently recognized. This article focuses on the species ''Boa constrictor'' as a whole, and on the nominate subspecies ''B. c. constrictor''. Common names Though all boids are constrictors, only this species is properly referred to as a "boa constrictor"—a rare instance of an animal having the same common English name and scientific binomial name. All subspecies are referred to as "boa constrictors", and are part of a diverse group of New World boas referred to as "red-tailed" boas, comprising species of both ''Boa constrict ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calabariinae
:''Common names: Calabar ground boa, burrowing boa, Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . Calabar boa, more.'' The Calabar python (''Calabaria reinhardtii'') is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to West and Central Africa. It is the only species in its genus. Etymology The specific name or epithet, ''reinhardtii'', is dedicated to Danish herpetologist Johannes Theodor Reinhardt (1816–1882). Taxonomy Although Schlegel (1848) first assigned this taxon to the genus ''Eryx'', most herpetologists have since regarded it as a python, which is still reflected in many of its common names. Kluge (1993) referred it to ''Charina'' ( Erycinae) based on a phylogenetic analysis. ''Charina'' was used to group together '' C. bottae'' and '' C. trivirgata'' with ''C. reinhardtii'' to emphasize evidence for an historical connection between the New and Old Worlds, as well as for taxonomi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Largest Snakes
The largest living snakes in the world, measured either by length or by weight, are various members of the Boidae and Pythonidae families. They include anacondas, pythons and boa constrictors, which are all non-venomous constrictors. The longest ''venomous'' snake, with a length up to , is the king cobra, and the heaviest venomous snake is likely to be the Gaboon viper (which also has the longest fangs and delivers the largest amount of venom) or possibly the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake – all three of these reach maximum weights in the range of . There are fourteen living snake species with a maximum mass of at least , as shown in the table below. This includes all species that reach a length of at least . There are two other species that reach nearly this length the Oenpelli python (binomial name ''Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis'', ''Simalia oenpelliensis'' or ''Morelia oenpelliensis''), and the olive python (''Liasis olivaceus''). The information available about th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Candoiinae
''Candoia'' is a genus of non-venomous boas found mostly in New Guinea, Melanesia and the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Five species are recognized. Common names include the bevel-nosed boas and keel-scaled boas. Description The species of the genus ''Candoia'' typically have a rounded and heavy body, with a flattened triangular-shaped head, and an upturned nose. Colors and patterns vary greatly, but most are various shades of brown to black. Species can vary in adult size from to in total length (including the tail). Males are typically smaller than females and can be distinguished by their prominent cloacal spurs. Distribution and habitat Snakes of the genus ''Candoia'' are found from Samoa and Tokelau west through Melanesia to New Guinea and the Maluku Islands in indonesia. Behavior All species of ''Candoia'' are primarily nocturnal. Feeding The primary diet of ''Candoia'' species consists of frogs and lizards. Reproduction In the snakes of the genus ''Candoia'', breeding ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erycinae
The Erycinae, known as the Old World sand boas, are a subfamily of nonvenomous snakes in the family Boidae. Species of the subfamily Erycinae are found in Europe, Asia Minor, Africa, Arabia, central and southwestern Asia, India, Sri Lanka, and western North America. Four genera comprising 18 species are currently recognized as being valid. Description Erycinae is a subfamily of stout-bodied snakes, all of which are competent burrowers. The largest, '' E. johnii'', rarely exceeds in total length (including tail). Most grow to around in total length. They have small eyes and hard, small scales to protect their skin from the grit of sand. A great deal of sexual dimorphism exists, with females generally becoming much larger than males. Erycines have skeletal adaptations to burrowing. The skull is more compact than in the subfamily Boinae. Also, the vertebrae of the tail are increased in size but reduced in number. Distribution and habitat Erycines are found in Southeastern Euro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanziniinae
The Sanziniinae are a subfamily of boid snakes containing four species endemic to the island of Madagascar. Taxonomy It contains two genera, each one with two species: *'' Acrantophis'' - Jan, 1860 :: '' Acrantophis dumerili'', Duméril's boa :: ''Acrantophis madagascariensis'', Madagascar ground boa or Malagasy ground boa *'' Sanzinia'' - Gray, 1849 :: ''Sanzinia madagascariensis'', Madagascar tree boa or Malagasy tree boa :: ''Sanzinia volontany'', Nosy Komba ground boa The Nosy Komba ground boa (''Sanzinia volontany'') is a Boidae, boa species Endemism, endemic to the island of Madagascar. It is brownish in colour and is found on the western side of the island. It was considered conspecific with the Madagasca ...'' References * Romer, A.S.: Osteology of the Reptiles. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1956. Further reading * Boidae Tetrapod subfamilies {{Alethinophidia-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spur (zoology)
A spur is an outgrowth of bone covered in a sheath of horn found in various anatomical locations in some animals. Unlike claws or nails, which grow from the tip of the toes, spurs form from other parts of the foot, usually in connection with joints where the toes meet the foot or the foot meets the long bones. Spurs are most commonly found on the hindfeet, though some birds possess spurs at the leading edge of the wings. Anatomy A spur is much like a true horn; it is a bony core attached to the skeleton and has an outer horny layer. Like horns, the spur grows from the base outwards, so the tip is older than the base. Some spurs form as an outgrowth of an existing bone, though most are secondarily formed as dermal bone hinged to the skeleton through a semi-rigid joint. Spurs on the hind-feet do not appear to molt, but the wing spurs of birds are molted once a year along with the wing feathers. Unlike claws, spurs are normally straight or only slightly curved, making them suite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cloaca
In animal anatomy, a cloaca ( ), plural cloacae ( or ), is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles and birds, and a few mammals ( monotremes, tenrecs, golden moles, and marsupial moles), have this orifice, from which they excrete both urine and feces; this is in contrast to most placental mammals, which have two or three separate orifices for evacuation. Excretory openings with analogous purpose in some invertebrates are also sometimes referred to as cloacae. Mating through the cloaca is known as cloacal copulation, commonly referred to as cloacal kiss. The cloacal region is also often associated with a secretory organ, the cloacal gland, which has been implicated in the scent-marking behavior of some reptiles, marsupials, amphibians, and monotremes. Etymology The word is from the Latin verb ''cluo'', "(I) cleanse", thus the noun ''c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anal Spurs
Pelvic spurs are the externally visible portion of the vestigial remnants of legs found on each side of the cloaca in primitive snakes, such as boas and pythons. The remnants of a pelvis and femur, which have no connection with the spine, simply "float" in the muscle mass. The femur protrudes from the snake's body and is covered by a horny structure, which resembles a spur or claw. Males' spurs are generally longer and more pointed than females', and are used for clasping and tickling during courtship and mating In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite- sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. '' Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually rep ..., as well as combat with other males in some species. These spurs represent a sexually dimorphic feature, and for some species, spurs can reliably be used to identify the sex of a snake. References Snake anatomy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infrared Sensing In Snakes
The ability to sense infrared thermal radiation evolved independently in two different groups of snakes, one consisting of the families Boidae (boas) and Pythonidae (pythons), the other of the family Crotalinae (pit vipers). What is commonly called a pit organ allows these animals to essentially "see" radiant heat at wavelengths between 5 and 30 μm. The more advanced infrared sense of pit vipers allows these animals to strike prey accurately even in the absence of light, and detect warm objects from several meters away. It was previously thought that the organs evolved primarily as prey detectors, but recent evidence suggests that it may also be used in thermoregulation and predator detection, making it a more general-purpose sensory organ than was supposed.Greene HW. 1992. The ecological and behavioral context for pitviper evolution. ''In'' Campbell JA, Brodie ED Jr. 1992. Biology of the Pitvipers. Texas: Selva. 467 pp. 17 plates. . Phylogeny and evolution The facial pit un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the Latin word for the white limestone known as chalk. The chalk of northern France and the white cliffs of south-eastern England date from the Cretaceous Period. Climate During the Late Cretaceous, the climate was warmer than present, although throughout the period a cooling trend is evident. The tropics became restricted to equatorial regions and northern latitudes experienced markedly more seasonal climatic conditions. Geography Due to plate tectonics, the Americas were gradually moving westward, causing the Atlantic Ocean to expand. The Western Interior Seaway divided North America into eastern and western halves; Appalachia and Laramidia. India maintained a northward course towards Asia. In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
