Boa constrictor facts, pictures and videos
General facts about boa constrictor snakes
There are many species of boas, but the boa constrictor is the most common, and owes its name to the way it kills its victims by constriction. This is the way that most non-venomous snakes use to kill. After the boa's ambush carried out to secure the animal target of his attack, his body is wrapped around the prey, and it begins to strangle the animal slowly. Whenever the prey frees air of his lungs, the snake tightens the loops, until the victim eventually suffocates and dies.
Despite the many stories about big boa constrictor snakes, the truth is that this species is far from having very large specimens. Such as those that are part of popular imagination like Pythons and Anacondas, the world's biggest snakes . The fact is that the boa constrictor rarely exceeds 3.5 m (11,5 ft). The vast majority averages a maximum at 3 m (10 ft), although very sporadically may appear slightly larger specimens at around 4 m (13 ft), in which case they are very old animals that live in areas with a lot of food.
Scientific Classification
Boa Constrictor
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Subfamily: Boinae
Genus: Boa
Species: B. constrictor
A boa constrictor snake may live up to 25 years and weigh between 35 and 45 kg. Female boas are generally significantly larger than males in length and girth .
Extremely peaceful and elusive, the boa constrictor always avoids contact with large animals, in which it includes humans. Despite his natural slowness, this snake flees whenever they feel threatened and, when caught out, releases all the air in the lungs, causing a characteristics whistle, which is nothing more than an attempt to ward off intruders.
The coloring of Boa constrictors vary greatly depending mostly on their surrounding environment. Boa constrictors have generally a brown, grey or cream base color, with a pattern of brown or reddish brown markings. Their coloring is in fact used as camouflage and works very effectively in the jungle and forest floors.
The boa constrictor's body presents signs of ancient times, including traces of hind limbs, which she has already lost for many hundreds of thousands of years.
Boa Constrictor - Facts about distribution and habitat:
The boa constrictor snake species inhabits a vast territory of Central and South America from northern Mexico to Argentina, is more frequent in dense forests of Costa Rica and throughout the Amazon rainforest's.They are found also in some Caribbean islands. The various species of boas live in deserts, wet tropical forests, savannas, and on cultivated fields, ranging from sea level to a moderate elevation.
Boa Constrictor - Facts about habits an behavior:
Boa constrictors are both terrestrial and arboreal specially smaller ones.This species has mainly nocturnal hunting habits, using their heat-sensitive scales to locate its victims. Most of their prey are birds, for while they are asleep do not see, and the boa constrictor have time to slowly prepare the attack and overpower their prey. Moreover, the vast majority of rodents also has nocturnal habits. They also catch bats hanging themselves from branches of trees or staying in the mouths of caves, grabbing them out of the air as they fly by. Thus, there is much food available, and the boa has a rich and varied diet. They are know to be excellent swimmers, but stay most of the time on dry land, living mostly in hollow logs and abandoned burrows.
Boa Constrictor - Facts about diet:
The boa constrictor snake is a carnivore, part of their favorite menu includes small and medium-sized birds, bats, medium and small rodents and other reptiles, like lizards or other snakes. Juvenile Boa constrictors eat primarily small mice, birds, bats, lizards and amphibians, as they get older and larger so will their prey size. Whenever they eat a very large prey, the boa constrictor then goes for a period of lethargy, which can last for weeks or even months until it has digested all the food and feels the need to feed again.
Boa Constrictor - Facts about reproduction:
The female boa emits a specific scent from the cloaca to attract males. Unlike other, snake species , who leave their eggs, which will then hatch later, this species is viviparous, that is, when hatchlings are born, they are completely formed. The gestation period run for 4 to 8 months. The juveniles birth takes place normally in the first months of the year, coinciding with summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
Boa Constrictor - Facts about conservation status and major threats:
Boas have been hunted for their fine, ornate skin and for sale in the exotic pet trade, some boa constrictor species are endangered and most have protected status in their geographical range. However most boa constrictor populations are not threatened of immediate extinction.
See this video of the Crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin handling a Boa constrictor in the wild.
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