🐾 LandCare difficulty: AdvancedLegal complexity: High — restricted in many states
Round Island keel-scaled boa
Casarea dussumieri
The Round Island keel-scaled boa is the sole surviving member of an entire snake family, found naturally on just one tiny Mauritian island. Habitat degradation by introduced animals nearly wiped it out, and it has rebounded through island restoration and managed breeding.
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Quick facts
| Size | Slender snake to ~1.5 m, the last of its lineage. |
| Lifespan | 15–25 years |
| Native region | Round Island, Mauritius |
| Climate | 🌴 Tropical |
| Genus | Casarea |
Habitat & enclosure
Restricted to Round Island, a small islet off Mauritius, where goats and rabbits once stripped vegetation and degraded its habitat. Removal of these invasive grazers allowed the boa and its habitat to recover. It is a strictly protected wild species, not a pet; this is a conservation/education profile.
Diet
Feeds on lizards (geckos and skinks) abundant on its island home. Captive assurance populations at conservation facilities are fed appropriate prey by specialists.
Behavior & temperament
Nocturnal and secretive, it has an unusual hinged upper jaw thought to aid in gripping hard-bodied lizard prey. Its status as the last species in its family makes it evolutionarily irreplaceable.
Reviewed and signed off by: KinStation Editorial — conservation profile (pending DVM/biologist review)