AnimalvsAnimal
Boa constrictor, Vaňkovka, Brno (2)🐍

Photo: I would appreciate being notified if you use m… · CC BY-SA 4.0

SpeciesBoidae
Reptiles

🐍Boa constrictor

Boa constrictor Linnaeus, 1758

The boa constrictor, also known as the common boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family Boidae. The species is native to tropical South America. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive. Four subspecies are recognized.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
8
Photos
1
Measurements
11
vs you
≈ 1/18th of your weight
Conservation status
LCLeast concern

IUCN Red List assessment, 2021.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
3.53 kg
Body length
1.85 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
40 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Boa constrictor

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
3.53 kgrecord 35 kg · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Body length
1.85 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan
40 yearsrecord 40 years · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Gestation
125 days
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Litter size
about 35
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Activity cycle
Nocturnal
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Foraging mode
Mixed
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Venomous
No
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Danger to humans
harmless
SeaLifeBase
Details ↓

Source: SeaLifeBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

Snout–vent length
1.66 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Volume l
3.5 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Boa constrictor yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classSquamata
  4. ›familyBoidae
  5. ›genusBoa
  6. ›speciesBoa constrictor
Full lineage
  1. superorderLepidosauria
  2. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  3. infraorderSnakes · Serpentes
  4. genusBoa
All 12 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. superorderLepidosauria
  10. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  11. infraorderSnakes · Serpentes
  12. genusBoa
More

More about the Boa constrictor

In other languages
ボアコンストリクター (ja), Kongeboa (nb), 紅尾蚺 (zh), Boa dusiciel (pl), Boa constrictor (fr), 보아 (ko) … and 24 more languages

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