Danger lurks almost everywhere in South American rainforests, and that's the home territory of the boa constrictor-a deadly threat on the ground and in the air. This well- camouflaged predator hunts on the forest floor and squeezes the life out of its victims with its powerful coils. Big and agile, the boa can also climb up trees and even knock prey, such as bats, right out of the sky.
Plenty of Backbone: The boa constrictor's long body is packed with powerful muscles. The snake's tube-like shape is supported by a flexible spine that has up to 300 vertebrae.
Infrared Vision: The scales around this serpent's mouth are heat-sensitive. These scales pick up the body heat of prey and send the information to the visual center of the snake's brain, which forms an image and allows the boa to "see" in the dark.
High and Low[]
The boa constrictor waits in trees high above the ground for a careless bird to fly by.
The boa constrictor likes to hunt in a variety of places. It slithers on the ground to find prey and can even hang from tree branches or rocks above the mouth of a cave. The boa's heat sensitive vision gives it a clear picture so it can launch an attack at birds and bats; the snake strikes its victims in mid-air and knocks them to the ground. It then wraps its coils around their bodies and begins to feast.
New Skin: A boa constrictor reaches up to 20 feet in length, so it goes through several growth spurts. This snake has to shed its old skin every one to three months and grows a new layer of skin over a period of about two weeks.
Death Wish: A predator foolish enough to take on a boa will meet strong defenses. When cornered, this snake coils up and hisses so loudly it can be heard 100 feet away. Then the snake will strike and bite its attacker.
Squeeze Play[]
- Finding a plump capybara (a large type of rodent), an adult boa constrictor strikes at its head and, at the same time, wraps its coils around the victim's body. Once caught, even a large animal can't break the snake's powerful grip.
- When its victim is dead, the snake unhinges its lower jaw so it can fit the prey into its mouth. The boa's teeth are small and its jaws can't move up and down to chew. The snake flexes its jaws in small movements as it swallows its dinner whole.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- Hunter, of the Weird n' Wild Detectives, is a Boa Constrictor.
- The image of the boa constrictor with its tongue out on the back of the card is also shared with the Wildlife Explorer series.
- The boa constrictor is mentioned on several other cards:
- It is compared to the Gigantophis on the prehistoric snake's knowledge card.
- It's habit of wrapping around victims is referenced on the Brown Snake's knowledge card.
- The animal on the back of the card that the boa constrictor is eating is actually a peccary (a type of wild pig). This is most evident due to the creature having hooves, when capybaras have multiple toes.