![]() With their generally bigger size, Boa Constrictors give birth to larger litters, which can range from 10 to 65, although around 25 is most typical. As with most other snakes, they're born independent, needing to hunt and fend for themselves. Baby boas are born in individual membranous yolk sacks, which they have to break out of before they take their first breaths. Some females like to give birth in very shallow water, just a couple of centimetres deep. Mating takes place in the drier months of autumn and winter (March-August), with the young being born after a further four month gestation. Their typical size at that point is around 1.3 m. They occasionally also take up residence in areas near human habitation (or end up being kept as pets, including by indigenous populations) where they play an important role keeping the rodent population in check.īoas reach sexual maturity at around 3 or 4 years of age. But, as they get bigger and heavier, they're more likely to change to a terrestrial way of life - and often end up inhabiting the burrows of other animals. Boas are semi-arboreal, spending much of their time among the lower branches of trees when young. Greater numbers can be found in the hills which surround the Pantanal region, and which are safer from seasonal flooding. In turn, boas are preyed on by birds, mammals, and even other snakes - especially when they're young and almost entirely defenceless.īoas are sometimes found near water sources, such as rivers are streams - but generally still within proximity to woodlands rather than in wetland areas. although this obviously depends on the size of the last meal. Small boas will feed around once a week, intermediate snakes will feed once every two weeks, and adults will probably only feed every 3-4 weeks. Their meals are few and far between - although younger snakes feed more often than larger ones due to the smaller size of their meals. However, due to their slow metabolism, boas aren't mindless killers attacking everything around them. Once the prey has been taken, the boa's tightening coils mean that the prey is quickly asphyxiated. Usually its all over within a fraction of a second. They strike quickly, latching onto their victim with sharp teeth - snatching it back towards them and very rapidly wrapping their coils around it. Although they have been known to actively hunt, boas are ambush predators which lie in wait for a potential meal to unwittingly wander too close. As boas increase in size then so does the size of their prey - allowing them to start taking bigger animals, even including ocelots. They're also primarily nocturnal - which is when they're more likely to come out - hunting birds, lizards and small mammals such as rodents. Boas are generally solitary, and don't approach or interact with other snakes unless it's time to mate. In the wild, snakes bask in the sun to keep warm, then move to shadier spots or even go swimming when it gets too hot. ![]() Like other snakes, Boas are cold blooded - getting heat from their surroundings. This red tail is more prominent in younger specimens. Typical species have 15 to 30 dark saddle-shaped markings along the length of their back - which increase in size and turn redder towards the tail. Most are tan or beige - although some can also appear very dark. There are 10 separate subspecies - but the distinctions between them aren't clear and it isn't unusual to find specimens exhibiting traits of multiple subspecies. It has a wide geographical range stretching from northern Mexico through to Uruguay and northern Argentina. It's a large bodied snake, with adults ranging from 1.8 to 3 metres. This has the scientific name Boa constrictor constrictor - one of the rare cases where the scientific name and common name are more or less the same. This is easily distinguished by its orange/black or chocolate skin with a sheen that refracts the light, demonstrating all the colours of the rainbow. Red-tailed boa, more commonly known simply as the Boa Constrictor, and.Within the Pantanal, there are two species of boa to look out for: Nonetheless, both have have a similar general appearance and the same method of killing their prey through constriction. Boas give birth to live young, whereas pythons lay eggs, and pythons have a wider head due to to the presence of an extra (supra-orbital) bone. ![]() Aside from geographical distribution, the other differences are that boas lack the heat-sensing pits that pythons use to track their prey. ![]() Firstly, pythons are restricted to areas around Africa and Australasia - whereas as (with a few exceptions) boas are restricted to the Americas. Pythons and boas are frequently confused. ![]()
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