#Common boa constrictor habitat skin#
#Common boa constrictor habitat full#
#Common boa constrictor habitat free#

These snakes are not farmed for their skins, and collecting them from the wild has caused population declines. When kept in captivity, they are fed mice, rats, rabbits, chickens, and chicks depending on the size and age of the individual.Ĭaptive life expectancy is 20 to 30 years, with rare accounts over 40 years, making them a long-term commitment as a pet.īoa constrictors like many other large snakes, are killed for their skins, which are highly prized in the leather trade. Though still exported from their native South America in significant numbers, they are widely bred in captivity. It is a common sight in both zoos and private reptile collections. This species does well in captivity, usually becoming quite tame. The size of the prey item increases as they get older and larger. Young boa constrictors eat small mice, birds, bats, lizards, and amphibians. The average litter has 25 young but can be anywhere from 10 to 64 young.

#Common boa constrictor habitat skin#

Like all snakes, boa constrictors in a shed cycle are more unpredictable, because the substance that lubricates between the old skin and the new makes their eyes appear milky, blue, or opaque so that the snake cannot see very well, causing it to be more defensive than it might otherwise be.īoa constrictors are ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young. After this, the snake may not eat for a week to several months, due to its slow metabolism. It takes the snake about 4–6 days to fully digest the food, depending on the size of the prey and the local temperature. Boa constrictors also like to eat bats! They catch them by hanging from tree branches or the mouth of caves and knocking the bats out of the air as they fly by. The bulk of their diet consists of rodents, but larger lizards and mammals as big as ocelots are also reported to have been consumed. Their prey includes a wide variety of small to medium-sized mammals and birds. They are nocturnal, but they may bask during the day when night-time temperatures are too low.Īs semi-arboreal snakes, young boa constrictors may climb into trees and shrubs to forage – however, they become mostly terrestrial as they become older and heavier. By keeping blood from flowing to the brain, the animal dies.īoa constrictors generally live on their own and do not interact with any other snakes unless they want to mate. Once the snake has its body wrapped around the prey, it squeezes just enough to cause a “circulatory arrest” by cutting off the ability of the heart to pump blood in and out. It is commonly believed that boa constrictors subdue their prey by crushing their bones or squeezing their lungs to suffocate them, but recent research on the constriction method revealed that these snakes employ a different strategy all together.

#Common boa constrictor habitat free#

Their teeth are small and hooked, which allows for a strong grip when the snake strikes its prey and prevents the prey from wiggling free while the snake wraps its powerful body around the victim. 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.

They wear some of the most distinctive markings of all reptiles.

#Common boa constrictor habitat full#

They can weigh more than 45 kilograms (100 pounds) when full grown. Boa constrictors range in length from 50 centimeters (50 centimeters) as newborns, or neonates, to 3.9 meters (13 feet) as adults.