Snake family · Round Island boas
Bolyeriidae
Critically rare island snakes with a uniquely jointed jaw.
About the Bolyeriidae family
This family is famous for one feature found in no other reptile: an upper jaw hinged into two movable halves, thought to help grip hard-scaled lizard prey. One member is already extinct; the surviving Round Island boa is one of the world's rarest snakes.
- Where they live
- Round Island, off Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.
- How to recognize one
- A slender, harmless island snake; effectively never encountered in the wild.
- Danger to people
- Harmless. Non-venomous.
Species (1)
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