Fun Facts about Boa Constrictors That’ll Amaze You
- Boa constrictors are non-venomous snakes that are heavy and found in deserts and wetlands of South America. They are also called red tail boas and mostly kept in captivity; however, they are also found in the wild.
- Boa constrictors don’t have fangs and hence trap their prey by squeezing it with the help of their body. This will obstruct the blood flow of the trapped prey thus killing it.
- Boa constrictors have four sets of teeth in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw totalling to 100 teeth through which they crush their prey.
- Boas can grow up to 13 ft long and on an average live up to 20+ years.
- Boas are ovoviviparous which means they lay eggs and hatch them inside their bodies before letting out their offspring.
- Boas are considered friendly snakes and hence are grown as pets in several parts of the world under captivity. However, they should be handled properly with caution. They can attack when they are meddled with or when they feel threatened.
- Boa constrictors feed on lizards, frogs, and large insects. Very rarely are they a threat to humans. So far only two cases of human kill have been reported because of boas.
- Boa constrictors and pythons have similar features. They both squeeze their prey, but differ in their habitat. Pythons have more teeth compared to boas and, unlike the friendly latter, pythons are aggressive and prey on humans.
- Like any other snake, boas also have a split tongue which resembles a fork. Snakes don’t have ears and hence, use their tongue to sense their surroundings. So, unlike the common misconception, a snake’s tongue doesn’t contain any poison.
- A female boa can give birth to around 60 live baby boas at a time. Their gestation period is five to eight months.