Snakes of Trinidad
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Boas are one of the largest in the snake family. All snakes are cold-blooded and have a dry, scaly skin. They need external heat sources for their muscle activities, digestion and fighting diseases. Boas are not as big as pythons, except Anacondas.
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Anacondas are one of the members of boa snakes.
Habitat: Tropical rain forests near by water sources or
rivers. They are very very good swimmers. A common Green
Anaconda, can reach over 8.5 Meters (Over 33Feet) long.
This makes the Green Anaconda the World's Largest Snake
but not longest.
The longest snake in the world is the Reticulated Python (Over 10 Meters - 35Feet).
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Boas Versus Pythons:
The main difference between boas and pythons. Boas are termed ovoviviparous, this means their eggs inside the females are surrounded by a membrane instead of a hard shell like pythons. So when the boa babies born, babies break through the membrane to crawl away. Pythons are oviparous, this means the eggs are surrounded by a thin, parchmentlike shell. Female pythons will coil around their eggs and stay with them during the incubation period.
Life Span : A well kept boa snake, under good conditions may live over 20 years.
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Rainbow boas (Epicrates cenchria) The species are found in Trinidad, Tobago and the Margarita Islands.
Older rainbow boa specimens may grow to 7 feet, the record length for this species slightly exceeds 9 feet.
Rainbows are highly iridescent snakes, the outer layer of a rainbow boa's epidermis is thin, so these snakes require high humidity to thrive.
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this snake is
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The deadly Fer de lance snake was named by the French settlers because of its
lance-shaped head and body.
It belongs to the family of pit vipers and can be found in the hot tropical forests in both wet and dry country and open country. In the West Indies it can be found in Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique and Santa Lucia.
The snake can grow to a length of eight feet, but most only get about four to five feet long. Its body is brown or dark gray with a pattern of black-edged diamonds running down the body. Its reputation is enhanced by its long hollow poison filled fangs which carry venom from special glands into the victim's body, the way a hypodermic needle injects serum. Its venom is very deadly.
The fer de lance also has an unpleasant habit of coming out at night to lie on warm roads and footpaths.
Fer de lances feed on arthropods and lizards when young, but are equipped to locate and kill mammals and birds. The adult snakes feed on small animals such as opossums, frogs, lizards, small snakes and rodents.
Using their great ability to smell their prey helps them to locate and amush.
The vomeronasal organ, found in the palate, analyzes the odors collected by the tongue outside the mouth which helps them locate their prey.
The young are born alive in litters of 60-80 about one foot long. They are born with the venom apparatus fully developed and are dangerous from birth. The number in a litter and the size depends on the size of the mother. A six foot fer de lance bears young one foot long.
A fer de lance can defend itself against many predators by its poisonous bite, and by rapidly vibrating its tail when disturbed. It does not have a rattle like its relatives the rattlesnake but the vibrating tail rustles against the leaves and presumably acts as a deterrent.
This is one creature that you may want to see but you will be better off having avoided.
Fer-de-lances are dangerous not because they mean to attack people, but because they are well camouflaged and live along forest edges, where people travel. Without treatment, their bite is severe to lethal.
Young snakes have a yellow tail tip that they wiggle to lure small mammals and birds, while older, heavier snakes lurk among plants and wait for prey.
The fer de lance, is one of the world's most poisonous snakes. Its venom has both neurotoxins and hemotoxins. Locally it is called the 'the 2-step' snake - after it bites you, you can take about 2 steps before you fall over. These snakes are not only deadly but also aggressive - they've been known to jump up at people, chase them, and drop out of trees (no joke!). When we came up to this one it was coiled up right smack in the middle of the trail - luckily we spotted it before anyone stepped over it!
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