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Encyclopedia > Boiga
Boigas and Mangrove snakes
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Boiga
Species

Boiga andamanensis
Boiga angulata
Boiga barnesii
Boiga beddomei
Boiga ceylonensis
Boiga cyanea
Boiga cynodon
Boiga dendrophila
Boiga dightoni
Boiga drapiezii
Boiga forsteni
Boiga gokool
Boiga guangxiensis
Boiga irregularis
Boiga jaspidea
Boiga kraepelini
Boiga multifasciata
Boiga multomaculata
Boiga nigriceps
Boiga nuchalis
Boiga ocellata
Boiga ochracea
Boiga philippina
Boiga quincunciata
Boiga saengsomi
Boiga schultzei
Boiga trigonata
Boiga wallachi

The Boigas and Mangrove snakes' form genus Boiga, which is a group of rear-fanged colubrid snakes that has spread throughout Asia, the Indo-pacific islands and Australia. They are generally arboreal, nocturnal, and have large eyes. Their venom's potency varies by species, and some can be dangerous, though no lethal bites have yet been recorded.


One of the most prolific species is Boiga irregularis, the Brown Tree Snake. Normally native to Australia and Indonesia, this snake is a versatile arboreal predator that can reach up to 8 feet long and has potent venom that can cause major medical effects in children. Some time during the 1950s, these snakes (or possibly a single female with eggs) reached the island of Guam via human activity, possibly having hidden in imported plant pots. The island of Guam lacks native snakes or predators that can deal with snakes the size and aggressiveness of the Brown Tree snake. As a result, the snakes bred unchecked as an invasive species, and began consuming the island's bird life in astonishing numbers. Currently, dozens of bird species have been completely eradicated from the island, many found nowhere else on earth, and the snake has reached astonishing population densities, reported to be as high as 15,000 snakes per square mile. In addition to devouring the native fauna, this species will routinely crawl into power transformers, and, unfortunately for all involved, this typically results in both an electrocuted snake and substantial blackouts.




  Results from FactBites:
 
RELEASE INTO HELL - RELEASING REPTILES BACK INTO THE BUSH - THE DANGERS - AUSTRALIA (7667 words)
However the June 1994 issue of Herpetological Review is not all that unusual in carrying four separate articles relating to reptiles newly introduced to the wild in Florida.
In the US Pacific territory of Guam, accidentally introduced Brown-tree Snakes (Boiga irregularis (or fusca)) have overrun the island exterminating native bird species upon which they prey.
Interestingly, where these snakes occur in most parts of Australia and south-east Asia, they tend not to dominate the local fauna or ecology, usually being just one of a number of snake species and rarely if ever decimating bird populations, even though they feed on them.
Venomous Snake Links (2561 words)
Florida's Venomous Snakes - Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission - PDF file of booklet.
Gernot Vogel's Homepage - Information on Southeast Asian herps, especially Trimeresurus and Boiga
Gad Perry - University of Texas at Austin - ecology of reptiles and amphibians (with a number of papers on Boiga irregularis on Guam)
  More results at FactBites »


 

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