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 Noah the Boa at the Burnet Park Zoo, Syracuse, NY |
The Boa Constrictor is a reptile, which can be found on the continent of South America. It lives in the rain forest biome. The boa has many different color patterns of yellow, brown, green, and black. The boa has a long skinny figure. It can grow to about 3-4 meters and weighs about 60 kilograms. It has scales that feel like a leather basketball and it doesn't move very fast. The boa feeds upon little rodents. At the zoo it gets fed two medium size rats once a week. The boa kills its prey by coiling its body around the victim and then suffocating it. Then it swallows it whole. The boa constrictor lives to 25 years or more in captivity, but in the wild it lives fewer years. It also bears live young. The boa usually lives alone, not in groups. |
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When I was at the zoo the boa was very inactive. It went around in circles a couple times and then it started to go up a tree log. It is also very hard to see the boa because of the camouflage. I also observed that it likes to stay in shady spots. |
In the zoo the habitat is very dark. There are many logs and different kinds of plants. There are also many tree branches for it to climb on and a pool of water. I think that the habitat that the boa lives in the wild is a lot like the one at the zoo. Its job in the rain forest is to mainly keep the food web going. |
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The boa has many special structures to help it survive. It has camouflage so other animals cannot see it when it is around colorful plants and trees. It has very sharp teeth to fight off and eat any animals. It also has a very strong body structure which is used to wrap around animals and strangle them to death. |
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People destroying the rain forest is an environmental change that could harm this animal's habitat. The boa would then be forced to find another place to live. Forest fires also could force the boa to move to elsewhere. |
"Boa Constrictor." Academic American Encyclopedia. 1995, ed. "Boa Constrictor." Compton's Encyclopedia. 1996, ed. "Boa Constrictor." Grzimek Animal Life Encyclopedia. 1965, ed. |