![]() ![]() in snakes with reduced ribs (corn snake, python, boa constrictor) and in. Parallel selective pressures drive convergent diversification of phenotypes in pythons and boas. These same workers confirmed resegmentation (see text) insofar as the ribs are. Which family contains the biggest depends on whether you are measuring these reptiles. Several are known or suspected to be breeding and appear to be spreading northward. However, in addition to the browns and creams seen. Overview Science News Partners Since the mid-1990s, several species of non-native, giant constrictor snakes, such as Burmese pythons and boa constrictors, have surfaced in localities throughout southern Florida. Pythons and boas provide a new model system for the study of macro-evolutionary patterns of morphological and ecological evolution and they do so at a deeper level of divergence and global scale than any well-established adaptive radiation model systems.Įsquerré, D & J S Keogh. The largest snakes in the world belong to the python and boa families. Native carpet pythons reach similar sizes to Boa constrictors and also have blotches, stripes or cross bands. We argue that strong selective pressures related to habitat-use have driven this convergence. These results are consistent with replicated adaptive radiation in both groups. Snakes - Constrictor VCA Canada Animal Hospitals Boa Constrictor vs. We show that these two groups display strong and widespread convergence when they occupy equivalent ecological niches and that the history of phenotypic evolution strongly matches the history of ecological diversification, suggesting that both processes are strongly coupled. Although they both look very similar, there are some major differences. Neonate and juvenile boas have similar markings to the adults. We collected geometric morphometric data on head shape for 1073 specimens representing over 80% of species. INTRODUCTION: There are over 50 species of pythons and boas currently recognized in the world, with a variety of interesting color mutations now available. The Boa constrictor is one of the worlds largest snakes. We tested whether pythons, boas and their relatives have evolved convergent phenotypes when they display similar ecology. Pythons and boas are globally distributed and distantly related radiations with remarkable phenotypic and ecological diversity. This is exciting because it highlights how important ecology and adaptation is in shaping biological diversity. ![]() arboreal, terrestrial, semi-aquatic, semi-fossorial) look more like each other than to other snakes in their own family. ![]() Pythons and boas that occupy the same micro-habitat or ecology (i.e. Boas tend to bear live young, whilst all known pythons are egg-layers, with gravid mothers sometimes squeezing out over two dozen in a single clutch. The study was based on over 1,000 specimens and including most of the species. It’s not anoles but at least it’s about convergent evolution!Ī recent study by Damien Esquerre and Scott Keogh published in Ecology Letters found that pythons and boas, the two famous constrictor snake families, have evolved convergent head shapes. ![]()
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