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Boa Constrictors are one of the largest snakes in the 

world, along with the Reticulated Python and 

Anaconda.   Boas are non-poisonous but just as deadly.  

They ambush their prey, which means that they will 

hide and wait for something yummy to go by and then 

do a surprise attack. They use their flicking tongue to 

pick up the scent.   Just as their name suggests, they 

will coil their bodies around the prey and with each 

breath of the prey they will constrict, or squeeze, their 

coils just a little tighter until the animal can no longer 

breath.   Their prey consists of birds, lizards, frogs and 

small mammals. Larger Boas will even eat monkeys, 

pigs or deer. 

Although they are not considered Pit Vipers, some Boas 

have heat-sensitive scales around their mouths that 

help them find prey in the dark.

These snakes live in hot, tropical places and can be 

found both on the ground and in trees.

Boas give birth to live young, which means that they 

develop completely inside their mother.   Once they are 

born they are on their own and know pretty much all 

they have to know about finding food and hiding

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.

Significantly smaller than anacondas, boas can grow up 

to 13 feet (4 meters) long and weigh more than 100 

pounds (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. Boas will eat almost 

anything they can catch, including birds, monkeys, and 

wild pigs. Their jaws can stretch wide to swallow large 

prey whole.

Boas are nonpoisonous 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.

Female boas incubate eggs inside their bodies and give 

birth up to 60 live babies. Boas are about 2 feet (0.6 

meters) long when they are born and grow continually 

throughout their 25 to 30-year lifespan. The largest boa 

constrictor ever found measured 18 feet (5.5 meters).

Hunted for their fine, ornate skin and for sale in the 

exotic pet trade, some boa constrictors are endangered 

and most have protected status in their range.

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