Boa Constrictor | National Geographic

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Common Name: Boa ConstrictorScientific Name: Boa constrictorType: ReptilesDiet: CarnivoreGroup Name: Bed, knotAverage Life Span In The Wild: 20 to 30 yearsSize: 13 feetWeight: 60 poundsSize relative to a 6-ft man:
IUCN Red List Status: ? Not evaluated LCNTVUENCREWEX Least Concern Extinct Current Population Trend: Unknown

Boa constrictors wear some of the most distinctive markings of all reptiles. Depending on the habitat they are trying to blend into, their bodies can be tan, green, red, or yellow, and display cryptic patterns of jagged lines, ovals, diamonds, and circles.

Behavior

Boas are nonvenomous constrictors found in tropical Central and South America. Like their anaconda cousins, they are excellent swimmers, but prefer to stay on dry land, living primarily in hollow logs and abandoned mammal burrows.

Significantly smaller than anacondas, boas can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds. 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. Boas will eat almost anything they can catch, including birds, monkeys, and wild pigs. Their jaws can stretch wide to swallow large prey whole.

Reproduction and Conservation

Female boas incubate eggs inside their bodies and give birth up to 60 live babies. Boas are about 2 feet long when they are born and grow continually throughout their 25 to 30-year lifespan. The largest boa constrictor ever found measured 18 feet.

Hunted for their fine, ornate skin and for sale in the exotic pet trade, some boa constrictors have protected status in their range.

2:33Boa constrictors kill their prey not by suffocating them but by cutting off their blood circulation, new research shows.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.1 / 91 / 9This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.Photograph by Axel Hilger, National Geographic Your Shot

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