“Like all snakes, they must shed their skin in order to grow,” said Heyborne. Sometimes they hide in the burrows of medium-sized mammals. Because of their large size, they tend to move in a straight line instead of slithering back and forth like smaller snakes, according to the San Diego Zoo. Though they are good swimmers, they prefer to be on dry land or in trees. These snakes, especially young ones, are semi-arboreal, said Heyborne. They are mostly nocturnal, though they will sometimes come out during the day to sun themselves in cooler temperatures. Behaviorīoa constrictors are typically solitary, said Heyborne. They are often found near streams or rivers, according to the ADW. They can also be found in dry tropical deserts and semi-deserts, woodlands, scrub and agricultural areas. When they do reside in rainforests, they tend to stick to the edges or clearings. Though stories often depict boa constrictors living in jungles, their habitats are actually much more diverse. Previously, scientists thought that all members of the family Boidae were New World snakes, but certain boa species have been discovered in remote areas such as Mauritius and New Guinea, according to the San Diego Zoo. They are also found on islands in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coast. They are found throughout the Americas, ranging from northern Mexico through Central America and into Peru on the west side of the Andes and south to Argentina on the east side. The boa constrictor was formally revealed on World Snake Day.Boa constrictors are New World snakes, meaning they live exclusively in the Western hemisphere, according to the ADW.Contrary to popular belief, boa constrictors do not kill their prey by suffocation, but by cutting off blood supply to vital organs.Boa constrictors will shed their skin every 2 to 4 months as they continue to grow throughout their life.Boa constrictors give birth to live young.The patternation and color of boa constrictors depends on where they are from there are a huge range of colors in the wild and even more in captivity due to selective breeding.
Boa constrictors reach sexual maturity between 3 and 4 years old. She gestates for between 100 and 120 days, giving birth to between 20 and 65 live young, which are independent from birth. The female will store the male's sperm until she ovulates, using it to fertilise her eggs. If more than one male encounters the same female, they will wrestle with each other, the victor then mating with the female. Females are larger, with an average length of between 2.1 and 3m, whilst they have pelvic spurs, they are smaller than the male's.īoa constrictors are solitary animals and do not interact in the wild, except when mating or fighting over mating rights.ĭuring the mating season, female boas will release pheromones that males will track. Males are an average length between 1.8 and 2.4m, with pelvic spurs around their cloaca that are used to facilitate mating.
The species exhibits sexual dimorphism the males and females look different. Although there are many different colors and patterns among these snakes, the typical appearance is pale brown, dark brown and black scales in a rhomboid pattern down the length of the body. They are a ubiquitous species split into 9 subspecies, all of which are capable of living in most environments but mostly found in rainforests, coastal areas, and semi-deserts. The boa constrictor is a large species of snake native to Central and South America. The Boa Constrictor ( Boa constrictor) is a large South American snake featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.
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