| Description |
non-venomous boa species; may grow to become quite large; ten sub-species recognized; color pattern is a ruddy brown ground color, becoming rich brick red on the tail; dorsally, ground color is overlaid with a series of large tan-colored saddles that become lighter toward the tail where the saddles break up into half rings of a pale cream color in vivid contrast to the red |
| Sex |
no significant differences; females appear to be longer and heavier; however, since they continue to grow throughout their lifetime this is a difficult differentiation |
| Age |
20-30 years in captivity |
| Length |
varies among sub-species; on average 10 feet considered large; record length 18.5 feet (Trinidad) |
| Wingspan |
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| Weight |
can reach over 100 pounds; average adult specimens 60 pounds |
| Habitat |
wide variety of environmental conditions, from tropical to arid country |
| Status |
some sub-species endangered; most have protected status in their range. |
| Range |
Central and South America, some in Caribeean islands |
| Behavior |
small individuals may climb into trees and shrubs to forage; become mostly terrestrial as they become older and heavier; females give birth to up to 60 live young (ovoviviparous); young average 15-20 inches at birth and grow continually during their life span; jaws lined with small hooked teeth for grabbing and holding prey while they wrap their muscular bodies around the victim, squeezing until it suffocates; jaws can stretch wide to swallow large prey whole; |
| Diet |
wide variety of mammals and birds, mostly rodents, but larger lizards and mammals as big as ocelots also reported to be consumed |
| Vocalization |
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| Other Information |
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