The ones that live in forests blend into the leaf litter on the ground or the bark of a tree to stay hidden. The ones that live in dry environments usually hang out in rock crevices or in underground burrows made by other wildlife. But since they don’t have to chase their food, they don’t need to travel quickly.īoas are found in a variety of habitats, including open woodlands, like the rainbow boa, and rocky, semi-desert scrublands, like the Egyptian sand boa. They can’t move very fast, though-only about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) per hour on open ground.

This type of movement works on the ground as well as in trees, and boas can even climb smooth surfaces. This is accomplished by stiffening the ribs to provide support, then lifting a set of ventral (on the belly) scales and moving them forward so the loose ends grip the surface, pushing the snake ahead. The straight and narrow. Because of the large size many boas can reach, they move by traveling forward in a straight line, which is known as rectilinear progression. They are not venomous, and many do not live in jungles. That’s probably because these big snakes make a big impression! But boas are usually pretty quiet and calm and don’t deserve their nasty reputation. Not the bad guys. Boas often appear in movies and stories that take place in the jungle, usually as the villain sliding menacingly through the trees. One of the biggest differences is that pythons lay eggs while boas give birth to live young, although some sand boas and the Round Island boa of Mauritius lay eggs. Pythons have one more bone in their head than boas do and some additional teeth, and pythons are found in Africa, Asia, and Australia while boas live on those continents as well as North, Central, and South America. These snakes have some things in common: they are constrictors, killing their prey by wrapping around it and suffocating it, and they are considered primitive snakes with two lungs (most snakes have only one) and remnants of hind legs and pelvic bones.īut they have differences, too. That leaves two groups, the boas and the pythons. The first thing to note is that the anaconda is a kind of boa, not a separate type of snake.

They can swim but would rather stay on dry land.Boas, pythons, and anacondas: What's the difference? Because boa constrictors, reticulated pythons, and anacondas are some of the biggest snakes in the world, many people get confused about which is which.

The Common Boa flicks its tongue to pick up scents.

The longest recorded Boa was measured at 5.4 m long.

Most boa species are not threatened or in danger of immediate extinction, however most have a protected status in their regions. Their natural predators include caimans, jaguars and humans. Threatsīoas are hunted for their skins as well as for sale in the exotic pet world. Food at the ZooĪt Riverview, the boa is fed large rats twice a month.

They will also hunt birds, mammals and other reptiles and generally hunt at night. The Boa Constrictor will often prey on bats by hanging from trees or waiting at the mouths of caves. To accomplish this, Boa Constrictors are extremely muscular and usually heavy bodied snakes. Very quickly the prey will asphyxiate (suffocate). As the prey exhales, the tightening coils prevent the prey from inhaling. This involves the snake tightly coiling around the prey, not crushing it, but severely restricting movement. Ecology and habitatĪs their name suggests, Boa Constrictors constrict their prey. Boa Constrictors become sexually mature at about 2 to 3 years of age. Boas are viviparous, meaning that the female does not lay eggs and the young are fully formed at birth.Īfter a gestation period of 4 to 8 months, 6 to 60 live young are born. The female releases a scent to attract a male. They are solitary animals except during the breeding season, and mating occurs about once a year. Boas are both terrestrial and arboreal, especially smaller individuals. Behavior and reproductionīoa constrictors are very peaceful and elusive and will avoid any contact with large animals. The oldest common boa in captivity was recorded to have lived 40 years. Every snake has a distinct pattern of lines, spots, ovals and diamonds.īoas can live up to 25 years in the wild and up to 30 years or more in captivity. They have a narrow head with a pointed snout and can be coloured black, olive-green, brown or grey. Boa constrictors are large snakes that can be between 1 to 4 m (3.5 to 13 ft.) in length and weigh approximately 35 to 45 kg (77 to 99lb).

Common boa constrictor length