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Frequency of occurrence (number of prey items) of four prey types (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) in the diet of Cuban Boas (Chilabothrus angulifer) in natural (NAT) and anthropogenic habitats (ANT).
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The Cuban Boa (Chilabothrus angulifer) is a top terrestrial predator in Cuba. References to prey species consumed by this boa date to when the first Europeans arrived in the region more than 500 years ago. However, long-term studies on its trophic ecology do not exist. The scarce and scattered records on its feeding habits indicate that this boa pr...
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Context 1
... consumed by snakes in both habitat types, albeit in different proportions (Table 1). Mammals were consumed more frequently in natural habitats (82.1%, n = 151 items; n = 84 snakes) than in anthropogenic habitats (24.6%, n = 41 items; n = 21 snakes) (Fig. 5). The most frequently taken prey items in natural habitats were bats (n = 70 items [38%]; n = 26 snakes), followed by hutias (Capromys and Mesocapromys; n = 52 items [28.3%]; n = 38 snakes), and rats (Rattus; n = 23 items [12.5%]; n = 18 snakes) (Fig. 6). Domestic animals consumed in natural habitats were feral (i.e., cats) or semiferal ...
Citations
... pilorides is the only hutia to occur sympatrically with other Cuban hutias (prehensile-tailed hutia, dwarf hutia, black-tailed hutia, Cabrera's hutia, and eared hutia- Silva Taboada et al. 2007;Borroto-Páez and Mancina 2011). The Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer) is the most important native predator of C. pilorides; of the 351 prey items analyzed from 218 boas, C. pilorides constituted 14.5% of the prey, including adult and subadult individuals (Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2020). Other native predators of C. pilorides include the Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) and American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus-Rodríguez Soberón et al. 2001;Alonso Tabet et al. 2014). ...
Capromys pilorides (Say, 1822), Desmarest’s hutia, is one of the world’s largest rodents; body mass of adults typically exceeds 3 kg. It occurs only on Cuba, although fossil remains from the late Quaternary Period have been found on the Cayman Islands. Capromys pilorides is widely distributed throughout the Cuban archipelago where it occurs at elevations from sea level to 1,200 m. Capromys pilorides can be terrestrial or arboreal depending on habitat and has a generalist phytophagous diet. It forms social groups and has a polygynous mating system. The conservation status of Capromys pilorides was most recently assessed in 2008, and it is currently listed as “Least Concern” (LC) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species.
During a routine clinical examination of a four-year-old female Cuban boa (Epicrates angulifer) belonging to a zoological park located in northern Portugal, a skin lesion was observed. A skin swab was taken. Bacteriological analysis conducted using the Vitek® 2 Compact system identified the presence of the bacteria species Kocuria kristinae, a new bacterial pathogen that may be a potential pathogen in wild animals. This K. kristinae strain was resistant to kanamycin, pradofloxacin, erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline, nitrofurantoin, and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole and was therefore classified as a multidrug-resistant bacterium. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that K. kristinae has been described in the skin of a Cuban boa. This report serves as a cautionary warning about the importance of recognising and investigating the potential pathogenicity of this agent, as well as contributing to the development of strategies to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.
