Argentine Boa

ANIMAL:
Argentine Boa             Boa occidentalis

Type of Animal:
Boa/Python

Habitat:
Tropical/subtropical forests (both wet & dry, both closed & open), forest clearings/edges, woodlands, semidesert, scrub forest, grasslands, rocky slopes, savanna, swamps, thorn scrub, plains, foothills, intermontane valleys, wetlands, cactus stands, shrubland

Location(s):
Argentina & Paraguay

Appearance:
Females bigger than males, dark brown, black, or gray w/ pale gold, white or multitude of light & dark patterns, gray belly w/ dark spots, some specimens have varying degrees of burnt orange to red (more prominent in captivity), young have paler dots

Food/Diet:
Rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels, agoutis, capybaras, nutrias, guinea pigs, ocelots/other small felines, amphibians, bats, lizards (including larger species), birds (up to size of turkeys), young tortoises, pacas, cavies, coatis, monkeys, young crocodilians, opossums, deer, pigs, other snakes (including young anacondas & smaller members of own species), eggs

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, herpetoculture, & wildlife centers

Lifestyle:
Solitary

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young-Snakelet
Group-Solitary

Weight:
Male-15 lbs
Female-30 lbs
Young-6 lbs

Gestation:
4-8 months 

Life Span:
20-30 years

Body Length:
Male-6 ft
Female-10 ft
Young-2.5 ft

Tail Length:
Male-2.5 ft
Female-2 ft

Main predators of adults are jaguars, crocodilians, & anacondas. Young preyed on by many snakes (including larger members of own species), predatory birds, carnivorous/omnivorous mammals, predatory lizards, & predatory turtles.

Like other boas, females give birth to live young.

Kills prey by constricting & swallowing whole.

Sexually mature at 2-3 years.

They’re ambush predators.

They’re hunted for skin, meat, & pet trade.

Farmers kill them because they eat poultry, & sometimes pigs.

They spend lots of time on the ground & in the trees.

They breed from late fall to early spring.

Fun Fact(s):
These snakes tend to be fairly docile unless shedding. Younger ones nippier than adults.

It can take them up to 6 days to digest a meal.

Loosely hinged jaws can stretch far apart, enabling it to eat prey bigger than itself.

They’re valuable in that they eat lots of small & medium-sized mammals.