by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
How's your general knowledge about Boa dumerili? Yeah, mine too. Decided limited.
But then, you know, not planning any future visits to Madagascar or Reunion Island... and never, ever visiting the reptile house at the zoo (been there, done that, nightmares to prove it), I little thought I'd ever need such knowledge.
How wrong I was.
So, without quite yet telling you why, let's start with...
Facts about Dumeril's boa.
As you've by now deduced, Dumeril's boa is native to (and really in my humble opinion should stay in) Madagascar and Reunion Island. I know myself very little about either place, although I do recall the young Countess Rostova in "War and Peace" wondering what it would be like to go to Madagascar. If she was here to read this article, she'd select, I think, another destination.
So you won't be apprehensive as you read this report, I hasten to inform you that this boa is non-venomous. You'll soon see why this fact (though insufficiently known) is pertinent to my story.
Adults usually grow to 6.5 feet (2 m) in length, with the maximum reported to be 8 foot, 6 inches (259 cm). I feel obliged to tell you males have longer flatter tails, whilst females tend to be larger overall. This fact is, I'm sure you agree, of more interest to the dumerils than to you and me, but perhaps I underrate your interest.
Their color pattern consists of a gray-brown ground color with darker patches, forming an effective camouflage against the leaf litter of the forest floor of their habitat.
More facts...
This snake apparently was unknown in Europe until 1863, when the French annexed both Madagascar and Reunion; they, too, bear their share of responsibility for What Happened Next.
Dumerils are hearty eaters, delighting in birds, lizards and small mammals. They also prey on other snakes, the better to prove which is the mightiest of all. It's a good idea to avoid them while they are so involved; they might, you see, decide to tackle the problem of.... you.
Another good time to avoid them is, predictably, during their mating season. This is when the males put on their best bib and tucker, including (must be blunt here) anal spurs, used so scientists tell us in courtship. I'll take their word for it. The mating season runs from March through May,and the young are born 6-8 months later. Like most with young families, they value their privacy; you know the feeling. But in recent years, they don't get it.
Dumerils are now classified as vulnerable. This means that a population reduction of at least 20% has been observed, estimated, inferred or suspected over the last 10 years or three generations. This threatening development is partly the result of human fear. Coming upon, say, a dumeril in the kitchen or under the bed does, you should know, spook even the natives, who in such moments think of self-protection rather than conservation. But this is the least significant reason for the dumeril's plight.
Rather, their habitat has been threatened by deforestation and by being captured for export, to become pets for (ordinarily) young men of poor hygiene, too many tattoos and body piercings, and anti-social habits. These (and there is a small army of them) like the frisson of fear their little friends create... and perhaps, too, the silky smoothness of the python's skin as it slithers over them. Which is perhaps why Ray Moorhouse got his.
In any event, on January 6, 2011 Ray allowed his Significant Other Melissa to take his 3-year-old boa out for an airing. With the nearly 3 foot boa around her neck (boas like the warmth) she got on the MBTA's Red Line...and promptly lost Penelope... to her own consternation and that of a car-full of passengers who thought they'd seen Everything, but were mistaken.
Pandemonium ensued... as the train first paused, then rushed ahead to empty out grumbling, but relieved, passengers. The snake, however,was gone.. Ray Moorhouse, however, wasn't worried. Penelope, he told the world, could squeeze into the smallest of spaces and make do with the odd mouse... or rat, which are common on the MBTA.
And so, confidently, he waited... and waited... certain that Penelope would stay faithful and return. He had, perhaps, Queen Penelope in mind. In Greek mythology Penelope was the wife of Odysseus, king of Ithaca. The very symbol of loyalty, constancy, she kept other suitors at bay for 20 years while her errant husband adventured. Penelope the snake, the Dumeril, exiled from its native land, proved equally faithful as her namesake. On February 3, a tired, rather thin looking snake emerged... to be greeted by whoops of joy... and flash bulbs, surely the most celebrated dumeril of all.
... and the most expensive.
Within two weeks of Penelope's return, Ray and Melissa Moorhouse were startled to receive a bill from the MBTA for $650 towards the cost of this incident. "T" officials cited, amongst other things, the cost of cleaning and disinfecting the car inhabited by the snake. Concerned customers had contacted officials, as concerned customers will do.
These officials were indeed concerned, not least because the Moorhouses had made it plain they would bring Penelope out for further airings... and perhaps further incidents on the already overburdened MBTA. Predictably the once ecstatic Moorhouses have indicated they may not pay the bill. It figures.
Still, not since 1959 when the Kingston Trio released its hit "Charlie on the MTA" has there been such a celebrated rider. This is why you should go to any search engine, call up this toe-tapping classic, substituting "Penny" for "Charlie"... and have a ball, as the Kingston Trio might have had:
"Now you citizens of Boston, don't you think it's a scandal, How Penny has to pay and pay? Fight the fare increase, vote for George O'Brien! Keep Penny on the M.T.A."
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online. Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books. Republished with author's permission by Lawrence Rinke http://ActionEqualsProfit.com.
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