Despite this, they’re vital for controlling opossum populations, which spread leishmaniasis in many of these areas, as well as controlling rodents that prey on human crops.
![a boa constrictor a boa constrictor](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Px7pxz_T0_s/maxresdefault.jpg)
#A boa constrictor skin#
People also hunt them for their skin and meat. However, these days, most of this market is fed by animals born in captivity. The boa constrictor has become a very popular pet, which has meant that many of them have been captured in their habitat. Specifically, these animals live from Argentina to Mexico, in countries such as Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, and Ecuador. However, the different subspecies of boa constrictors can also be found in jungles and cultivated areas, as they are terrestrial animals but sometimes use trees as their main habitat. This animal lives in areas with little water, such as savannas and deserts. That is, its eggs hatch inside the mother, and the snakes come out of her alive as if it were a mammal birth. It’s important to note that the boa constrictor is an ovoviviparous animal. As for their weight, constrictor snakes are massive animals and can reach some 65 or even 90 pounds in weight. Boa constrictors are solitary animals, and will only associate with conspecifics to mate. The biggest boa ever recorded was 33 feet long. A boa constrictor can be either brown, grey, or creamish-colored, weighing from 30-60 pounds. Like the royal python, crossbreeding in captivity has resulted in colors that are virtually never seen in the wild.īoa constrictors usually live around 20 years in the wild, although, in captivity, there are specimens of 30 and even 40 years of age, thanks to veterinary care and diet control. Boa constrictors are snakes found in 'The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That'. Boa constrictors are able to adjust their hunting behaviors according to the density of possible prey items in their habitat. Once the prey is dead, the snake swallows it whole. Instead of injecting poison into its prey, it strikes, grabs and squeezes until the prey is subdued. These are irregularly shaped and painted on the skin, which is usually brown or golden, although it can even be white. The boa constrictor is named for its mode of predation: constriction.
![a boa constrictor a boa constrictor](https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/ILF9C1ETZbNwBKMKrqIPvDb2Fkc=/1500x1000/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/yellow_boa-497e2261953c42caaa9001ccbd02c12b.jpg)
In all its variants, the boa constrictor has a coloration of reddish and brownish tones on the back. Some boas measure under 2 feet and others exceed 13 feet as in other reptiles, the females are usually larger than the males an example of this is one of the specimens at the San Diego Zoo, which measures eighteen feet. Characteristics of the boa constrictorĪs there are multiple subspecies of boa constrictors, their sizes vary widely.
![a boa constrictor a boa constrictor](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V0xeMpxaZlc/maxresdefault.jpg)
From mantona in Peru to matacaballos in Ecuador, limacoa in Mexico, or mazacuata in Central America. Since it lives in many Latin American countries, the boa constrictor has received various names in Spanish. These animals, unlike their close cousins the pythons, are American animals. Boas are one of the most well-known types of constrictor snakes. The boa constrictor is one of the main members of the boa family.