Mary Allen
The boa constrictor is a species-rich boa snake. Boas are constrictors that entangle their prey and kill it. The nickname constrictor refers to this behavior and means contraction.
The Habitat of the Boa Constrictor
The natural habitat of this snake species ranges from northern Mexico to South America. This boa has settled in different areas. It inhabits the jungles of the Amazon, rain forests, mountain forests in the tropics, bush areas, and savannahs. It usually stays near bodies of water.
The Boa constrictor is a crepuscular and nocturnal animal. During the day it withdraws into hollow trees, caves, and other hiding places. She only comes out to sunbathe occasionally.
Young boas are mainly found in branches on trees and adult animals spend most of their lives on the ground. The boa constrictor’s urge to move is low because a wild boa constrictor does not crawl further than 140 meters in two weeks.
Size and Appearance
The boa constrictor is considered the smallest boa constrictor. Of course, their subspecies are of different sizes (emperor boa: up to 1 meter in length, king boa: up to 4 meters in length). An adult snake weighs around 30 kilograms.
The boa constrictor has a large, broad head that tapers towards the mouth. Their jaws are only loosely connected, allowing them to unhook the jaws when swallowing down their prey.
Colors and Patterns
The patterns and different basic colors of the boa are impressive. The palette ranges from grey-brown, cream-colored to black. The brown saddle patches on the back, which are sometimes colored red on the tail, are also typical.
A visible line runs down the forehead to the snake’s mouth. Behind her eyes, she wears a dark-colored temple band that extends from the mouth to the sides of the neck.
Behave
Boa constrictors are mostly ground dwellers. The young animals like to live on tree branches. When the animals get bigger and older, they prefer to live on the ground.
However, the snake is not fond of movement. Her favorite place is her shelter because she leaves from time to time to sunbathe and warm-up, up up since she is cold-blooded and therefore has no independent way of regulating her body temperature.
Lining
The boa constrictor will eat almost any live animal within its size range except spiders and insects. She prefers warm prey to cold ones.
The boa hunts in two ways. On the one hand, she follows the scents of her prey or she lies in wait. When she gets close enough to her prey, she quickly grabs her, crushing her prey with her large body until it collapses and suffocates.
This process can take 15 minutes and is a tedious affair. So that the boa does not use up a lot of energy, it feels the heartbeat of the prey and stops gagging when the heart has stopped.
Gender Differences
Male and female boa constrictors share a similar appearance, but external identification marks can reveal the gender. Adult males are on average about 30 centimeters shorter than females.
Their anal spurs are helpful in determining sex. They lie to the right and left of their cloaca. They resemble two tiny claws. Males have stronger anal spurs than females.
It’s still complicated to tell the sexes of snakes apart. If you are unsure, you should ask a veterinarian who is familiar with reptiles.