Common Boa Constrictor

Conservation Status:
Stable

Description:
Boa constrictors range from 4 to 12 feet in length, and very rarely can reach 15 feet.  They are tan, brown, and black with large spots on their back and sides.  Like other snakes, they lack ears and eyelids.  They have a soft, black forked tongue that is used for detecting smells.

Range:
Central and South America

Habitat:
They are found in a wide range of habitats, from semi-desert regions to rain forests.

Diet:
In the wild they eat mostly rodents, and also some other small mammals, lizards, frogs, birds, and other snakes.  In the zoo, they eat rats and mice.

Life Cycle:
Boa constrictors are ovoviviparous.  That means that they keep their eggs inside their body until the eggs hatch, and then give birth to the baby snakes.  Gestation lasts 3-5 months, and 8-60 young can be born in a litter.  Litter size increases with the age and size of the female.  Snakes do not care for their young, so a large litter size helps to increase the chances that some of the young snakes will survive.  Boa constrictors reach maturity by the end of their third year, and they can live 20 years or more.  One captive boa lived 40 years.

Did You Know?

·        Snakes are not slimy.  The scales covering their bodies are dry and smooth. 

·        Snakes use their tongues to smell.  The forked tongue brings air molecules into the mouth, where odors can be processed in a small pit called the Jacobson’s organ.  A snake cannot hurt anyone with its tongue.

·        Boa constrictors are non-venomous snakes.  They kill their prey by constricting, or squeezing tightly to suffocate the prey.  Then they swallow the prey whole.  Their jaws can unhinge and stretch apart using rubber band-like ligaments to swallow prey larger than their mouth.

·        Snakes are very important in controlling the numbers of rats, mice, and other rodents.

·        Wild snakes prefer to avoid people.  If given a chance, they will usually flee rather than try to bite.  Still, it is best to keep your distance from any wild snakes that you see.

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