![]() ![]() If you’re forced to take the “manual” option of unwinding the snake by force, then always start with the tail, as this is where the boa constrictor’s muscles are weakest. The last great anti-boa secret is white vinegar, which for some reason they cannot stand. Boa constrictors also find hot water and cold water intolerable – any difference to their warm and humid norm in the jungle. If you’re bathing in the candlelight, then simply chuck your glass of red wine in its face. The alcohol should be placed in front of the boa constrictor’s nostrils, and the result will be an instant release in the pressure. Boa constrictors hate the taste and scent of alcohol, and professional snake handlers commonly keep cotton swabs and a bottle at close hand. Should you ever wake up to find a boa constrictor coiling itself around your neck, then there’s a simple strategy: grab your unfinished can of beer. © Wikimedia Commons User: Jose Reynaldo da Fonseca / CC BY-SA-3.0 They actually rely on asphyxiation, cutting off the blood flow to the creature’s brain and rendering it unconscious within seconds. 25psi is nothing compared to the 3700psi of a saltwater crocodile bite, but the boa constrictor uses its entire 2.5 metre body.Ī misconception is that boa constrictors suffocate their prey to death. Finally, the boa constrictor will squeeze with all its body weight. With its hooked teeth holding the prey in place, the boa constrictor will instantly use its remaining momentum from the pounce to coil itself around the poor creature’s neck. When a rodent or lizard finally sneaks past, the boa constrictor will propel itself from its secure branch with immense speed, and bite the prey deeply and accurately. Only rarely will a boa constrictor actively stalk its prey its time-tested tactic is the ambush. It will occasionally dangle its head down while flecking its tongue to analyse its surroundings, before retreating upwards to the shadows. The boa constrictor begins its hunt by slithering up a tree and waiting in place patiently. On the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest, the boa constrictor’s diet includes rodents, mice, bats and even monkeys. © Wikimedia Commons User: Tiago Falótico / CC BY-SA-4.0 ![]() Boa constrictors commonly grip handler’s arms in snake enclosures, causing the victim’s pulse to quicken, but this grip is actually to prevent themselves from falling to the hard floor. One common misconception is that boa constrictors attack human beings at the drop of a hat, but in reality they’re rarely aggressive. This species only measures 1.2 metres compared to the boa constrictor’s average of 2.0, yet the king snake has been witnessed taking on much larger snakes than itself, such as the 1.5 metre rat snake. However, it’s the California king snake which has the highest squeeze force pound for pound. By comparison, the average Burmese python, reticulated python, and ball python score 6.23, 7.2 and 4.0 respectively. This increased 2.6 fold when the diameter of the snake was doubled. The boa constrictor has the highest pounds per square inch squeeze force of any snake alive, reaching 25PSI in a 2007 study. © Wikimedia Commons User: Angela Rothermann / CC BY-SA-3.0Įveryone knows that boa constrictors dispatch their prey using the cuddle of a lifetime, and science has now proven that the hype is real. Scientists have no idea how many boa constrictors exist in the world today, let alone whether they’re rising or falling. Being so common, their population numbers are a complete mystery. They particularly favour rainforests and grassy clearings within them, but woodlands, grasslands, dry topical forest, thorn scrub, and semi-desert are also popular spots. The boa constrictor can thrive in almost any habitat. The only South America country boa constrictors don’t inhabit is Chile, because of the impenetrable high Andes mountain range along its border. The species also defies the ocean and has natural populations on several islands, including Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, Tobago, Dominica and St Lucia. Their southern reaches extend deep into eastern central Argentina, while their northern flanks just cross the border into Panama. ![]() Boa constrictors can be found slithering over approximately 2 thirds of the continent, including Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Bolivia, and many more. The boa constrictor is an icon of panic, and making matters worse, it’s extremely common in its native South America. © Wikimedia Commons User: Gionorossi / CC BY-SA-4.0įew names in the snake world inspire fear quite like the boa constrictor, except maybe the black mamba (particularly since Kill Bill Volume 2 was released in 2004). ![]()
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