English             -               Boa Constrictor

Portuguese      -               jiboia-constritora

Latin                 -               Boa Constrictor

There are several species of boas, but the most common is the Boa Constrictor. Boa Constrictors are non-venomous snakes famous for their method of subduing prey: squeezing, or constricting them to death. Though they are not as long as their relatives, anacondas and reticulated pythons, Boa Constrictors rank among the longest snakes in the world. The Boa Constrictors scientific name is ”boa constrictor”. It is unusual for a species’ English name to be the same as its scientific name.

Boa Constrictors are an exclusively New World species. They are found in tropical Central and South America. Boa Constrictors occupy a variety of habitats. Primary habitat is rainforest clearings or edges. However, they are also found in woodlands, grasslands, dry tropical forest, thorn scrub, and semi-desert. Boa Constrictors are also common near human settlements and often found in agricultural areas. They are commonly seen in or along streams and rivers in appropriate habitats. Boa Constrictors are semi-arboreal, although juveniles tend to be more arboreal than adults. Like their anaconda cousins, they are excellent swimmers, but prefer to stay on dry land, living primarily in hollow logs and abandoned mammal burrows. Boa Constrictors are nocturnal or crepuscular, though they bask in the sun to warm themselves in cool weather. They periodically shed their skins. Female boa constrictors are larger than males.

Boa Constrictors have some of the most distinctive markings of all reptiles. Depending on the habitat, they try to blend into their surroundings. Their bodies can be tan, green, red, or yellow, and display cryptic patterns of jagged lines, ovals, diamonds, and circles. Significantly smaller than anacondas, Boa Constrictors  can grow up to 4 meters in length and weigh more than 45 kilograms. Their jaws are lined with small, hooked teeth for grabbing and holding prey while they wrap their muscular bodies around their victim, squeezing until it suffocates.

Boa Constrictors tend to be ambush predators. They will sit and wait from a desired tree perch or burrow and wait for prey to come along. They will eat almost anything they can catch, including small mammals like rats, squirrels and mice. They will also feed on lizard, birds and bats. The bigger Boa Constrictors can take monkeys, wild pigs and small deer. Their jaws can stretch wide to swallow large prey whole.

Male Boa Constrictors are polygynous; each male can mate with multiple females. Females may also have more than one mate in a season. Females are usually widely scattered and courting males must invest energy into locating them. Most female Boa Constrictors do not appear to reproduce annually. They are likely to become reproductive only when they are in good physical condition. Female Boa Constrictors  incubate eggs inside their bodies. The gestation period lasts around 4 to 8 month and they can give birth to around 60 live hatchlings. Once born, the hatchlings are fully independent. Their length is around 2 feet at birth and their appearance doesn’t change much as they age, though their colours may fade a bit. 

With the high demand for Boa Constrictors skins and meat in the past and now with the over collection of Boa Constrictors for the pet trade and the needless persecution of them has had an impact on some Boa Constrictor populations in the wild.  Some populations have been hit harder than other, and various wild populations are now endangered, particularly those on offshore islands. Furthermore, habitat loss and road mortality have also reduced populations. Boa Constrictors are not listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. However, they are on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II, which means they are not currently under threat of extinction but that may change if the trade of these animals is not carefully controlled. 

Photos of the Boa Constrictors were taken at Parque das Aves - foz do Iguacu - Parana.