Posted by:
chrish
at Mon Dec 1 23:09:24 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by chrish ]
The smallest boas are probably either the Arabian Sandboa (Eryx jayakari) or the Elegant Sandboa (E. elegans). Adults of both species apparently stay under 20 inches.
If you consider the Tropidophines boas, then there are smaller contenders. I am not sure how large Exiliboa placata gets, but it can't be much larger than a 18 inches or so. The Leopard Dwarf Boa (Tropidophis pardalis) of Cuba doesn't exceed 350mm (13.5 inches)!
As for Pythons, the Dwarf Anthill Python (Antaresia perthensis) stays under a maximum of two feet, but average closer to 16 inches.
Just for reference, most boa and python species are not giants. Of the 90 or so species in the family boidae, around 30 of them exceed 7 feet. So 2/3 of the boids are smaller than that.
----- Chris Harrison
...he was beginning to realize he was the creature of a god that appreciated the discomfort of his worshippers - W. Somerset Maugham
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