There are 39 species of boa but the most famous is the boa constrictor, one of the largest examples, which has a terrible reputation. It is believed to be a man eating giant; although it is big at 3 metres long and weighing 60 kg, it is not the largest snake in the world and no snake has ever been known to eat an adult human.
The boa constrictor has a wide geographic range, from northern Mexico, the West Indies, Central America and many of the countries in South America. It likes to live in a variety of habitats from rain forest to cultivated farm land, to scrub land and dry desert.
The boa constrictor is particularly common around crop plantations and it actually is helpful to people, rather than a threat, because it feeds on rodent pests and keeps their numbers down. It lies in wait and then bites the prey to immobilise it then wraps itself around and squeezes the life out of it.
The boa constrictor has a wide geographic range, from northern Mexico, the West Indies, Central America and many of the countries in South America. It likes to live in a variety of habitats from rain forest to cultivated farm land, to scrub land and dry desert.
The boa constrictor is particularly common around crop plantations and it actually is helpful to people, rather than a threat, because it feeds on rodent pests and keeps their numbers down. It lies in wait and then bites the prey to immobilise it then wraps itself around and squeezes the life out of it.
