This was the "Big Guy."Long known as Epicrates angulifer, this long and hefty boa is now, like other West Indian Boas, in the genus Chilabothrus. Its common name of Cuban Boa has not been changed and it remains well known to hobbyists. They are live-bearing and may have up to 20+ young.

This boa is the largest and heaviest of the genus and may attain an adult length of 15 feet and an age of 25+ years. It ranges in the forestlands throughout Cuba and Cuba’s immediate islands. Although on an earlier trip in the dry season we had missed seeing this iconic taxon, some rain had fallen between then and now and we hoped that we would see at least one. We did. In fact we saw about a half a dozen, and these ranged from about 2 feet in length to—well let me tell you a bit about the largest one.

The group had spent a couple of hours on a trail known by the name of “Enigma of Rocks.” You may have never seen this trail, but the name alone should give you an idea of the complexity of passage. And somewhere along the trail a 5 foot long Cuban boa had been seen. Our group were happy campers.

We had been making our ways slowly back to the bus and were about ready to board when Luis, who had been chatting with a Forest Ranger, said ”One more stop—if you want to see a big boa.” Of course we did and within minutes we were on another rocky forest trail. A 15 minute walk took us to a “bat cave” and in front of the cave lay coiled the biggest Cuban Boa any of us had ever seen. We all agreed that the snake was at least 10 feet long (and probably longer) and its normally substantial girth was swollen even more by the prey it had eaten. The forest ranger guessed the prey to be an adult Hutia (as mentioned, a big rodent) and said the boa had been lying at the cave entrance for 4 days and that he expected that it would remain for another 4 or 5 days while digesting its meal.

And except to say all in the group felt that this sighting was well worth the walk and thanks Luis, that’s the story of our largest Cuban Boa.

Darker than many, this is an adult Scarlet Kingsnake.
Whether called Scarlet Kingsnakes or Milk Snakes, these mostly small-sized constrictors are so pretty that I can't stop writing about them.

The Scarlet Kingsnake, Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides, is the sole tricolored kingsnake of the southeastern USA. It is a pretty snake, gaudily bedecked with triads of red, then black that separates the red from the yellow, rings, and it almost always (perhaps always, but aberrancies may sometimes happen) has a red nose. In this manner of nose color and ring assembly, the harmless scarlet kingsnake differs from the venomous Eastern Coral Snake, Micrurus fulvius, that almost always has a black nose and again, almost always, has the 2 caution colors, red and yellow, touching.

This is one of the smaller of the tricolored kingsnakes, with lengths of 17-20 inches being most common and lengths in excess of 24 inches being quite uncommon. Hatchlings are tiny, often being only 6 to 6 ½” in length. Although large adults may accept nestling mice as prey, throughout their lives this species feeds primarily on suitably sized lizards.

The last Scarlet King that I happened upon was found in moist microhabitat beneath a sizable, mouldering,pine limb. Others have been seen crossing roadways, beneath debris, and actually in moist leaf-filled crotches of still living trees.

These are Italian Wall Lizards in NY.
No lizards of the family Lacertidae are native to the USA but as a result of the pet trade and deliberate introduction, 3 species now exist here. One, the Western Green Lizard, Lacerta bilineata, is restricted to the Topeka, KS region and is not discussed in this blog. The remaining 2 are both Wall or Ruin Lizards and are in the genus Podarcis. The species are the Italian Wall Lizard, P. siculus and the Common Wall Lizard, P. muralis, both common to abundant species in their European homelands.

Of nomenclatural interest is the fact that rather than subspecies, color and size differences in P. muralis are referred to as morphs, while P. siculus has been broken into so many subspecies that even the researchers can be confused.

Although subspecific/populational size differences can be seen in Europe, both species in the USA are of relatively similar length and overall appearance but generally differ markedly in color.

Both have an adult snout-vent length of about 3 ½” and a tail, if in its original form, of another 3 ½ or 4 inches. They are slender lizards that are of somewhat flattened appearance, especially on cool mornings when they are warming in the sunshine. Fortunately for observers the two do differ markedly in coloration as well as in current range in the USA. Both are habitat generalists, being equally successful in populating residential, agricultural, or dry fields or meadowlands. Both species can climb but the Italian Wall Lizard seems the more apt to use arboreal escape routes.

The Common Wall Lizard, P. muralis, is an overall sand tan and warm brown dorsally and laterally. Originally introduced in Cincinnati this little European lizard is now truly common in that area. It is also now firmly established in northwestern Kentucky.

The Italian Wall Lizard P. siculus differs from the Common Wall Lizard in having a green back and often some green on the sides. It is also at home in both residential and urban areas. It has been reported from CT, MO, KS, NY, CA, NJ, PA, but may now be absent in some regions and present in others.