Central American Boa Constrictor Information

The Central American boa constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator or BCI) is a large, heavy-bodied and non-venomous snake. Like all boas, the Central American boa constrictor uses constriction to kill its prey. The Central American boa constrictor is commonly kept as a pet and can live for more than 35 years.

  1. Geography

    • The Central American boa constrictor is native to warm, tropical areas and can be found as far north as northern Mexico and as far south as the country of Argentina in South America. It lives in a wide range of habitats, from open grasslands and deserts to rainforests.

    Identification

    • There are a number of different boa constrictor species, all with distinct coloration, patterning and markings. The Central American boa constrictor is a beige color with pink or tan tones and has black saddle-shaped stripes down its entire body. Towards the tail, the beige coloration turns to a dark red, and the saddle-shaped stripes become a bright white and narrower in size. The Central American boa constrictor, like many snakes, shimmers with iridescence when the light hits it. This snake can reach a maximum weight of 40 to 50 lbs., and reaches a length of anywhere from 4 feet to 10 feet, depending on the gender, with females getting much bigger than males.

    Diet

    • The Central American boa constrictor is semi-arboreal, which means that it spends some of its time on the ground and some of its time up in trees. This allows the boa to hunt a wider variety of prey, and its diet consists of small mammals, rodents, birds, bats and lizards. The Central American boa constrictor also basks in the sun to warm itself up because it is ectothermic, or cold-blooded. This means it cannot produce its own body heat, and has to seek out heat sources to warm up with in order to properly digest its food.

    Threats

    • As adults, the Central American boa constrictor has few predators. Baby boa constrictors are small enough to be eaten by a wide range of animals, including birds. According to Sea World, the largest threat to the Central American boa constrictor population is humans. This threat is due in part to habitat loss because of encroaching humans as well as the exotic skin and meat trades.

    In The Pet Trade

    • The Central American boa constrictor is extremely common in the pet trade and can make a great pet for the experienced snake keeper. It reaches an adequate size without growing too large, although the temperament of the snake depends on the individual animal. The pet trade has little effect on the Central American boa constrictor's status in the wild because of importing laws as well as the abundance of captive-bred specimens available for purchase by would-be snake keepers.