Red-tailed Boa
Boa constrictor constrictor

CLASS

Reptilia

ORDER

Squamata

FAMILY

Boidae

Range

Southern Mexico to Argentina

Habitat

Forests, stream banks, croplands

Diet

Small mammals, rodents, birds

Facts

• Non-venomous
• No two boas have same color patterns -- like human fingerprints.
• Cold-blooded - adapts to air or water temperature surrounding it
• Boas have vestiges of hind legs or hip bones near end of tail (not usually visible)
• Snakes shed skin because they are growing; number of times skin is shed depends on food supply; young snakes shed more often than adults; pigment is under many layers of skin and is not shed.
• Young are born alive (ovoviviparous -- after fertilization, the eggs remain in the female body until babies are developed.)