
Rather, results show cardiac arrest and lack of blood in the brain. Scientists’ recent studies have promoted this conclusion, claiming that the speed with which victims die does not match the lengthy death of suffocation. Their notorious “death squeeze” may actually be used to constrict their prey’s blood flow, which leads to circulatory arrest. Recent studies have brought into question the long-held belief that boa constrictors suffocate their prey to death.

Constrictor snakes on gallapagos island skin#
Of course, their exotic skin has also caused them to be targeted by hunters who covet the unique scales throughout history. With these different skins, they can be camouflaged in a variety of environments. Depending on their habitat, they can be colored red, yellow, tan, or green or patterned with diamonds, circles, ovals, or irregular lines. Boa constrictors can come in a variety of outfits. Boas reach around 13 feet and weigh around 100 pounds-over 400 pounds lighter than an anaconda.Įven if they were the same size as anacondas, boas would be recognizable by their ornate skin. However, boa constrictors could never be mistaken for the significantly larger anacondas. They stay close to the ground, inhabiting hollowed-out logs or burrows abandoned by their previous animal owners.

They are also strong swimmers, although they prefer dry land more.

Boas, too, kill their prey by wrapping their long, muscular bodies them and ultimately swallowing them whole. Boas have much in common with their anaconda cousins.
