ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF AN EXPLOITED
INSULAR POPULATION OF BOA CONSTRICTOR (SQUAMATA: BOIDAE)
ON THE CAYOS COCHINOS, HONDURAS
ROBERT N. REED1, SCOTT M. BOBACK2, CHAD E. MONTGOMERY3, STEVEN GREEN4,
ZOE STEVENS5, AND DANIELWATSON6

ABSTRACT.—The Cayos Cochinos, a group of small islands off the northern coast of Honduras, are home to an unusual dwarf
form of Boa constrictor. This population was heavily impacted by collection for the live animal trade from 1979 to 1993, when
a minimum of 5,000 boas was taken from the islands. An unknown level of illegal collection continues, as evidenced by recent
arrests of poachers. Today, B. constrictor is found only on Cayo Cochino Grande and Cayo Cochino Pequeño. We conducted
most of our research on the latter island, which is largely protected as a biological reserve. We captured 169 snakes during
approximately four months of fieldwork in 2004 and 2005, and tracked seven females and one male via radiotelemetry. Females
are longer and heavier than males. Although several large females had ingested large Honduran Spinytail Iguanas (Ctenosaura
melanosterna), relatively few other prey items were found, indicating that small lizards or seasonally available migratory birds
might be an important component of the annual energy budget for B. constrictor. In habitats with low thermal variability, B. constrictor
rarely engages in behavioral thermoregulation. Multivariate analyses indicated that humans are biased towards seeing
snakes in microhabitats that are used only occasionally by radiotelemetered snakes. Radiotelemetered individuals used arboreal
microhabitats that tend to be higher in the canopy than those where snakes were captured, whereas all snakes used terrestrial
microhabitats of high structural complexity compared to random locations. Both of these factors might serve to reduce their vulnerability
to pulsed poaching episodes. A preliminary population size estimate for the Cayo Cochino Pequeño population is
alarmingly low, and the long-term viability of the Cayo Cochino Grande population is even more questionable. Efforts to
increase ecotourism on the Cayos Cochinos and to institute educational programs for local residents may help retard the poaching
of B. constrictor and provide incentives for conservation.