6/12/2023 0 Comments Bimini island racer![]() It is among the rarest snakes in the world. However, in the last 20 years, conservation efforts have boosted numbers from an estimated 50 to over 1,100 individuals by eradicating non-native predators and reintroducing the snake to other Antiguan islands in its original range. In addition to Great Bird Island, the Antiguan racer has successfully recolonised the nearby Rabbit Island, Green Island, and York Island. The Antiguan racer is a snake that belongs to the family Dipsadinae, which includes about half of the world's known snake species. It belongs to the genus Alsophis, which contains several species of West Indian racers. Many West Indian racers are threatened or extinct. The adult racer is typically about 1 m long, with females being larger than the males. Young adult males are usually dark brown with light creamy markings, while young females are silvery-gray with pale brown patches and markings. Females also have larger heads than the males. However, older individuals of both sexes can be highly variable in colour hue and pattern, and are frequently heavily speckled or blotched in a range of hues, including white, taupe, reddish brown, brown, and black. The Antiguan racer originally inhabited Antigua and Barbuda and probably all of the islands on the Antigua Bank. The island is extremely small at only 8.4 hectares.īy 1995, the species was found only on Great Bird Island, a small island 2.5 km off of the northeast coast of Antigua. It prefers to live in shady woodlands with dense undergrowth, although it is also found on sandy beaches and rocky outcrops. The Antiguan racer is harmless to humans and has a gentle temperament. It is diurnal, being active from dawn to dusk. The Antiguan racer appears to have poor resistance to common snake mites, which are not naturally found in Antigua, which has ended some attempts at captive breeding. The racer primarily eats a diet of lizards, including the local Antiguan ground lizard. While the species sometimes hunts for its food, it is typically an ambush predator, waiting for prey with most of its body buried beneath leaves. In the centuries before the Europeans arrived in Antigua, the Antiguan racers were numerous and widespread. The thick forest that covered the islands teemed with lizards, the snakes' favored prey, and the racer had no natural predators to threaten it. ![]() In the late 15th century, European settlers began to colonize and develop Antigua and Barbuda for huge plantations of sugarcane. The ships that brought slaves to the island (and those that also or instead carried away rum or other tropical products) also brought rats. Feasting on the sugarcane and, among other things, the eggs of the Antiguan racer, the rat population rocketed. The plantation owners, desperate to rid themselves of the rats, introduced Asian mongooses to kill the rats. However, they failed to realize that black rats ( Rattus rattus) are mainly nocturnal, while the mongooses prefer to hunt during the day. The mongooses preyed heavily on the native ground-nesting birds, frogs, lizards, and Antiguan racers. Within 60 years, the snake had vanished completely from Antigua and most of its offshore islands, and many believed that it had become extinct. However, a few Antiguan racers survived on a tiny mongoose-free island known as Great Bird Island. A 3-month survey by conservation biologists from Fauna & Flora International found only 50 individuals alive in 1995. Ĭonservation work quickly got under way with the eradication of rats, which threatened the racers on Great Bird Island. These are typically remote northern areas.In 1996, five adult racers were collected and sent to the Jersey Zoo for the first attempt at captive breeding. Very Remote areas are exempt from Free Shipping offer. We sometimes add a signature requirement especially if it is a high value package If you do not see the Express option and you want Express shipping please send an email and we will provide you with a quote ( Do you require a signature on delivery?Ī. If Express shipping is available for your order you will see the option on the checkout page. We offer Express Shipping on some orders depending on the items ordered and the delivery address. When your order ships you will be emailed a tracking number which will give you the scheduled delivery dateĪ. To see what your shipping charge (if any) will be you can add the item(s) and quantities to the shopping cart and you will see a shipping cost calculator Over 98% of the items on qualify for the free shipping offer. Exempt items are usually bulky or heavy items such as buoys. Some items are exempt from this offer and are indicated on the product page. We have free ground shipping via UPS or Canada Post within Canada on most orders of $99 or more (pre-tax).Ī.
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