Cuban Dwarf Boa

The Cuban Dwarf Boa is a small, stout-bodied snake endemic to Cuba and belongs to the dwarf boa family, a group of secretive, non-constricting-specialist snakes found mostly in the Caribbean and Central America.

This species is entirely harmless to humans and is best known for an extraordinary defensive behavior: when severely threatened, it can feign death and exude blood from its eyes, a rare phenomenon among snakes.

• Stout, moderately thick body with smooth or lightly keeled scales
• Variable coloration ranging from grayish-brown to reddish with dark blotches or speckling
• Distinctly dark-tipped tail in many individuals, giving rise to its species name
• Relatively small head with large eyes and vertical pupils
• Adults typically 50 cm to just over 1 m in length

Endemic to Cuba, found in a range of habitats including forests, rocky limestone terrain, and human-modified landscapes. It shelters under rocks, logs, and leaf litter during the day.

Nocturnal, feeding on small lizards, frogs, and occasionally small mammals or birds. When threatened, it may coil tightly, feign death (thanatosis), and in extreme cases exude blood from the eyes as a startling defensive display. It is live-bearing, producing litters of several young.