I have kept a variety of exotic pets for the majority of my life, but I have worked with reptiles specifically for over 10 years.
BOA CONSTRICTOR IMPERATOR PROFESSIONAL
My name is Mariah Healey, professional reptile husbandry researcher and consultant. Parthenogenesis has been documented in imperator, in which the young receive 100% of their genetics from the mother but are not necessarily her “clones.” ( Booth et al., 2010).This means that instead of developing inside egg-like sacs with yolks inside the mother, young are dependent on their mother for nutrient delivery via placenta, just like mammals. Unlike most other live-bearing reptiles, boas are viviparous rather than ovoviviparous.
This means that when you take on a pet boa constrictor, you must be in it for the long haul. There have also been documented cases of boa constrictors which have reached 40. With correct care, boas can live for 30 years.
Females are generally significantly larger than males, with giants topping out at 10-12’ (3.0-3.7m) long. The most growth occurs during their first 6 years of life, but a boa constrictor can keep growing through age 15. Because they don’t have hands or arms to help them eat, they use their muscular bodies to squeeze captured prey until it passes out (which is a humane process that occurs within seconds, according to this study).ĭepending on the subspecies, boas grow between 5-8’ (1.5-2.4m) long on average. Their nightly activity consists mostly of hunting for prey such as birds and small mammals. All subspecies will be described in further detail in section 2 of this guide: Members of the Boa Genus.īoas are nocturnal, which means that they are most active at night. The most common subspecies (marked by an asterisk) are known for placid temperaments and tame down easily. Although they are often referred to as “boa constrictors”, although this is a bit of a misnomer that references just one of the 3 species: Like many snakes, this species is surrounded by myths. Boa constrictors are a medium to large, semi-arboreal genus of snakes native to Central and South America.
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