DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
It lives in diverse habitats, tropical and subtropical forests, deserts, open savannas, in the area of South America, from northern Venezuela to central Argentina. Also found near human settlements or in agricultural areas.
BEHAVIOUR
Boa shows an impressive ability to swim. However, unlike other snakes, it prefers to stay on dry land, inside hollow logs or abandoned animal burrows.
DIET
The name of the boa constrictor is not accidental, the species was named for its mode of predation: constriction. Instead of injecting poison into its prey, it grabs and squeezes until the prey its subdued When the prey is dead, the snake swallows it whole. They feed on large lizards, small or medium-sized birds, small mammals.
REPRODUCTION
Outside the breeding season, the boa constrictor is a loner. When the female is ready for breeding, she attracts the male with a specific smell from the cloaca. Litter size: up to 25 young. Gestation lasts 5 – 8 months.
GOOD TO KNOW
In the 1960s and 1970s, it was caught in large numbers for the purposes of terrariums and the leather industry, which resulted in a drastic reduction in the population of this species.
- Latin name: Boa Constrictor
- IUCN –Red List – LC – least concern
- CITES – Appendix II
