Boa Constrictor

Ben Potter

Grade 6

Fessenden Public School

Scientific Classification

– Kingdom: Animalia– Phylum: Chordata– Subphylum: Vertebrata– Class: Reptilia– Order: Squamata– Suborder: Serpentes– Family: Boiade– Sub-Family: Boinae– Genus: Boa– Species: B. Constrictor

Appearance

– no legs– colouring varies– arrow-shaped head with distinctive stripes– 3-13 feet long– heavy bodied

– weighing up to 60 lbs.

– females larger than males

Habitat

– Rainforests and semi-desert• Prefers rainforests due to the humidity and

temperature• hollow logs or abandoned mammal burrows

– Mexico, Central America, South America, 

Lesser Antilles, Caribbean

Life Cycle– breed in the dry season—between April and August

• males may mate with multiple females• gestation period is approximately 100–120 days

– Live Young• litter size varies between 10 and 65 young with an average

of 25• independent at birth

– Baby• grow rapidly for the first few years• shed regularly (once every one to two months)

– Mature at 3-4 years• Adult size• Can breed• Shed less often (every 2-4 months)

– Life Span: 20-35 years

Diet

– small rodents (rats, mice, birds, bats, lizards)• 4–6 days to fully digest the food

– strikes at the prey, grabs it with its teeth, then constricts the prey until death before consuming it whole

– ambush predators and will lie in wait for prey• known to actively hunt

• may not eat for anywhere from a week to several months

Predators

-humans

-jaguars

-crocodiles

How Boa Constrictors contribute to the diversity of life

-regulates the opossum populations• preventing transmission of leishmaniasis to

humans

-control the rodent populations

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How do Humans impact the Natural Habitat of Boa Constrictors?

-Rainforests being cleared for lumber and human population

What can be done to help Boa Constrictors survive?

– stopping predation from humans for shoes, bags and other items of clothing

– fall under CITES • Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora• ensure that trade does not threaten the species in

the wild

Other Facts

– sense heat via cells in their lips– capable swimmer– often kept as an exotic pet– longest recorded Boa Constrictor measured

5.5 m (18 ft) long– can move in a straight line without curving the

body

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boa_constrictor• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CITES• http://www.theanimalfiles.com/reptiles/snakes/

boa_constrictor.html• “Discovery Kids Snake” Kevin Fleury. Dutton

Children’s Books New York 2001