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 Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

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. 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'' 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 a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ...

s, including Isla de la Juventud (formerly called Isle of Pines), the Canarreos Archipelago (Cayo Cantiles), the Colorados Archipelago 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 (

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 Cayo Romano is an island on the northern coast ...

and Cayo Sant María). The

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

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 '' Chilabothrus''. The Cuban boa has a quite massive body, of a size typical for a boa or python 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 Great ...

, 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, 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 In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

rows at midbody 53–69; ventral scales 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 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 in

along with the Cuban crocodile and carnivorous birds. Depending on age, size and health, prey can range from anurans,

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...

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 ...

s, aquatic birds ( Gruiformes), free-ranging raptors ( Accipitriformes, Cathartiformes), forest birds ( Columbiformes, Cuculiformes, Passeriformes), caged birds ( Columbiformes,

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, Passeriformes, Psittaciformes), free-ranging poultry ( Anseriformes, Galliformes), bats, bovids, pigs, carnivores,

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit s ...

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

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

s. 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 on ...

(

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), fu ...

and

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

) made up 96%, while cold-blooded (

reptiles Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephali ...

and

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arb ...

) 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 (''Gallus domesticus'') (24.8%), Desmarest's hutias (''Capromys pilorides'') (14.5%), two bat species (

Jamaican fruit-eating bat The Jamaican, common or Mexican fruit bat (''Artibeus jamaicensis'') is a fruit-eating bat native to Mexico, through Central America to northwestern South America, as well as the Greater and many of the Lesser Antilles. It is also an uncommon res ...

, ''Artibeus jamaicensis'': 8.8%; Cuban flower bat, ''Phyllonycteris poeyi'': 6.0%), and black rats (''Rattus rattus'') (7.7%).

Reproduction

''C. angulifer'' is viviparous. 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'' and '' Eunectes murinus'' 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.