Boa Knows Cozumel

Are introduced boa constrictors (Boa constrictor) responsible for the near extinction of the Cozumel thrasher (Toxostoma guttatum)? Scientists may never have known, had one of them not discovered one of the endemic island birds, after almost a decade of wondering whether the species had perished. The Times Leader is reporting that Dr. Robert L. Curry hopes to study nesting sites of the thrasher to determine whether boa predation is a threat. Thrasher populations tanked around 1988, after Hurricane Gilbert passed over the island.

Thanks to Val C. for sending in the link.