The Northern Eyelash Boa (Tropidophis boulengeri) is endemic to the Chocó and is one of the most spectacular snakes. Especially during rainy nights in the lowland forests, they can be seen inside or near small and large rivers. These snakes often wait motionless with their heads submerged in the water in an ambush position from which they can suddenly pounce on their prey: fish or amphibians. Moira Wiedebusch was fortunate to be the first to observe the courtship behaviour of this previously undescribed snake species. While conducting a daily survey of amphibians along streams for her Master’s thesis, she came across a pair near a river in Canandé – a male wrapped tightly around the female’s body. The copulation continued into the following night in the same spot. Moira is writing her Master’s thesis at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. She and her supervisors have published a detailed description of this mating behaviour in the journal Salamandra.
Tropidophis boulengeri copulation. Foto by Moira Wiedebusch.