Calabar Python
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| Calabaria reinhardtii Schlegel, 1851 |
The Calabar Python or Calabar Boa (Calabaria reinhardtii) is a species of burrowing snake found in tropical West Africa from Sierra Leone to northern Zaire. The identification of this snake is somewhat subjective, and herpetologists differ as to this snakes relationship to other pythons and boids.
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[edit] Classification
Some herpetologists place the Calabar in the genus Charina with the Rubber Boa (Charina bottae), and the Rosy Boa (Charina trivirgata). Others place it in its own genus, but still within the subfamily Erycinae along with Charina, Eryx, and Gongylophis. Yet, others would place the Calabar in its own subfamily Calabarinae, where it would be the only member.
Calabaria's complex classification history is the result of several factors. This snake could be classified in the subfamily Pythonidae (it is often still called the African Burrowing "Python") because like pythons, this species is oviparous, or lays eggs. However, it was originally described as a member of the subfamily Erycinae due to its structural similarities to the Erycine boas. The problem lies in the fact that many of the physiological traits it shares with other members of the subfamily Erycinae are plesiomorphic (or primitive) traits. The fact that the female of the species lays eggs is used to argue that it can't be an Erycine boa, which are live bearers.
Due to the confusion, the Calabar Python is known by many names: the Calabar Boa, Calabar Burrowing Python, West African Burrowing Python, West African Ground Python and simply Calabria.
[edit] Description
This snake grows to a maximum length of 1 m (3'). It has a blunt rounded head and its body is very round in profile. The body is covered in glossy smooth scales, black to dark brown in color with speckles of lighter reddish brown scales in a random pattern. The tail may be ringed or have a partial ring of bright white scales around its circumferance. The shape of the tail closely resembles that of the head which may be a defensive adaptation, meant to confuse an attacker. The body is muscular and strong but not very wide due to the snakes need to burrow easily. The head scales are very broad and adapted to burrowing and it has relatively small eyes, usually of a dark reddish brown colour. The pupil of the eye is round.
[edit] Behavior
The Calabar is a predominantly nocturnal, burrowing (fossorial) snake, spending much of its time hidden under leaf debris on the jungle floor. It is a nest raider, seeking the burrows of mice and rats, often waiting for the parents to leave the nest where it will enter and eat a whole litter of young at a time. The Calabar uses constriction to kill its prey, but this snake has the unusual habit of using its body coils to press the young mice or rats against the walls of their nest, crushing them. If there is enough room in the rodent nest, the snake may take numerous prey items into its coils to be constricted simultaneously.
They are very docile snakes, when threatened it has a tendency to coil itself into a tight ball with its head safely tucked in its own coils. Also it may thump its tail against the ground in a defensive posture as well, but will rarely bite in aggression. The tail of Calabaria often has a conspicuous white ring which may attract attention of predators away from the head. When first disturbed, they will often remain very still while slowly moving the tail in an effort to increase the effect of this deception.
[edit] Reproduction
The Calabar is an oviparous snake, meaning it is reproduced from an egg. The eggs laid by the female are relatively large, weighing as much as 50 g (2 oz) each. Usually only one or two eggs are laid, rarely three. This clutch may well represent half of the females body weight before laying. The young hatch after six weeks of incubation, and will take food two or three days after hatching, usually after the first shed of their skin.
[edit] In captivity
Calabaria are not commonly found in captivity, but they are occasionally available in the exotic animal trade. Captive reproduction has only been accomplished by a few individual keepers, so most are wild caught. They can be handled easily, readily accept captive bred mice and rats for food, and their peculiarity makes for a unique pet, but they are a shy captive and do best when provided a warm, damp substrate for burrowing and are left alone.
