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Class:
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Reptilia
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Order:
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Squamata
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Family:
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Boidae
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Genus:
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Boa
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Species:
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boa constrictor constrictor
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Life span:
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20 years in the wild
40 years under human care |
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Egg Gestation:
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120 – 150 days
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Number of young at birth:
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30 on average
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Age of maturity:
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18 months – 3 years
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Size:
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Females 7 – 9 ft
Males 6 – 8 ft |
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Weight:
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Females, the larger sex, usually weight 20 – 30 lbs.
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Size at birth:
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Around 24 in. long
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Description:
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Typically tan with approximately 20 dark dorsal saddles running the length of the body. The tail blotches are usually red, orange or brown with black edging. Laterally there are tan, brown or black blotches (circular or diamond shaped) spaced along the saddles. Undersides are yellowish, spotted with black.
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| Diet: | Rodents, birds, iguanas, and monkeys |
| Range: | Sonoran desert in Mexico through Central America and outlying islands, to far northern Peru |
Fun Facts:
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May forage in the trees but are mainly terrestrial and live in hollow logs, mammal burrows, etc.
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The boa’s loosely hinged jaws can be stretched far apart, enabling it to swallow animals with bodies much larger in diameter than the boa’s head.
