Splitjaw Snake: Bolyeriidae - Physical Characteristics, Geographic Range, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Conservation Status - SPLITJAW SNAKES AND PEOPLE
People rarely see this snake in the wild.
People rarely see this snake in the wild.
The splitjaw snake has an upper jaw bone split into front and back halves that are hinged together at a point just below the eye. With this unusual split in the jaw, the bone holding the upper teeth in the front of the mouth can bend up and down, while the bone holding the back teeth can stay in place. No other bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, or fish has such a strangely jointed jaw. For many ye…
Also known as the Round Island casarea boa, the keel-scaled splitjaw lives only on Round Island, which is located in the Indian Ocean east of Madasgascar and just northwest of the island of Mauritius. At one time, this snake made its home on other small islands near Round Island and on the much-larger Mauritius, but now they live on just the one island. Round Island covers only 374 acres (151 hect…
A picky eater, the keel-scaled splitjaw snake eats little other than lizards, especially the day gecko and two types of skink. The splitjaw catches the slender and often-quick lizards during the day by remaining motionless and waiting for a lizard to accidentally come too close. The snake then strikes out and grabs the passing lizard. At night the splitjaw tries a different method. It hunts down t…
The keel-scaled splitjaw snake is mainly active at night, although it does do some hunting during the day. It usually stays on or under the ground, probably spending a good deal of its time in small moist tunnels, or burrows, which provide a safe hiding place. Splitjaw snakes will also climb up shrubs and tree limbs, sometimes reaching heights of 8 feet (2.5 meters). Scientists knew very little ab…
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consider the Round Island casarea splitjaw to be Endangered, or facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild throughout all or a significant portion of its range. It once lived on the nearby and much larger Mauritus Island, The splitjaw snake has an upper jaw bone split into front and back halves that are hinged to…
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