Boa constrictor | Description, Size, Subspecies, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

Boa constrictor | Description, Size, Subspecies, & Facts? ›

The snake's adult length is typically about 10 feet (3 metres), though individuals of more than 18 feet (5.5 metres) have been reported; Central American boas

After a large meal, a boa doesn't need to eat again for weeks. A boa constrictor grows throughout its whole life, which can be 20 to 30 years. An adult boa will generally weigh more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and grow to about 13 feet (4 meters) long. Boa constrictors tend to live alone.

The boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied snake. Their body markings consist of beige blotches on a dark brown background. Adults range in size from 2.4-3 m (8-10 ft.); some boas can exceed 3.6 m (12 ft.), but lengths of over 11 feet are extremely rare; newborn boas measure about 60 cm (24 in.)

Basic description. Most adult Boa Constrictors are about 10-16 feet (3-5 m) in total length. These are very large, stout-bodied snakes with dark brown hourglass-shaped saddles down the body that become reddish bands towards the tail. The background coloration is usually tan, light brown, grayish brown, or cream colored ...

Boa constrictor occidentalis (Argentine Boa)

These are some of the largest Boas, with females averaging around 10' (3m) long, and males smaller.

Boas are about 2 feet long when they are born and grow continually throughout their 25 to 30-year lifespan.

The strongman of the snake world, a boa constrictor is capable of exerting 6 to 12 lbs per square inch of pressure, and literally squeezes the life out of its prey, as Steve found when he tested this… on himself! Not a situation many of us would like to find ourselves in.

The Cropan's boa, native to Brazil's Atlantic Forest, hadn't been seen alive since its discovery in 1953. The rarest boa on Earth has been discovered in the rapidly shrinking Atlantic Forest outside São Paulo.

At 3–4 years, boa constrictors become sexually mature and reach the adult size of 6–10 feet (1.8–3.0 m), although they continue to grow at a slow rate for the rest of their lives. At this point, they shed less frequently, about every 2–4 months.

Colombian boa constrictors are some of the most docile, while imported Mexican and Central American boas tend to be a bit more aggressive.

How big of an animal can a boa constrictor eat? ›

Depending on the size of the snake, boas may eat rodents, birds, lizards, frogs, and small to medium-sized mammals like opossums, monkeys, pigs, or deer. Some anacondas have been known to eat prey as large as a young tapir or even a caiman.

Brazilian rainbow boas are a medium sized, round-bodied terrestrial boa and range from 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) in length. The head is not particularly large, but it is distinctly wider than the neck.

Reticulated python (32.8 feet)

Another South Asian native, the reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) — decorated with a pattern of repeating diamond shapes that give it its name — is widely recognized as the longest snake on Earth today.

Both snakes are considered primitive because they have two lungs and vestigial leg bones, but boas have fewer bones in their head, and fewer teeth. Finally, pythons are, on average, larger than boas. Anacondas (a type of boa) can reach 30 feet, but most boas stay at 18 feet or less.

A couple of specific boa constrictor predators include powerful avians such as the white-bellied sea eagle and the wedge-tailed eagle. Boa constrictors are also occasionally eaten by mammalian and fellow reptilian creatures -- think jaguars and crocodiles, for example.

They can't move very fast, only about 1 mile per hour (1.6 kilometres per hour) on open ground. But since they don't have to chase their food, they don't need to travel quickly. Boa constrictors can swim; most don't spend significant time in water.

The common boa constrictor (Boa constrictor) is a large snake that can reach lengths of up to 4 m. Its teeth are sharp and recurved (Fig. 7.13). With four rows of teeth in the upper jaw and two in the lower, there are well over 100 teeth in the dentition.

Our study further debunks the myth that snakes are deaf. They can hear – just not as well as you or I. Snakes can only hear low frequencies, roughly below the 600Hz mark, whereas most of us can hear a much wider range. Snakes probably hear muffled versions of what we do.

Boas can live up to 25 years in the wild and up to 30 years or more in captivity. The oldest common boa in captivity was recorded to have lived 40 years.