EMERALD TREE BOA
Corallus caninus

Range: Central region of South America (Brazil to Bolivia).

Habitat: Tropical rain forest.

Meat eaters! Tree boas are carnivorous, as are all snakes; they eat birds, lizards, monkeys and small rodents.

My fashion makes sense: This boa's green coloration with white marking and a solid yellow underside is used for camouflage. About four to six feet long with a prehensile tail, this nonvenomous snake has a large head with well-developed jaws and fangs. It does not always constrict its prey but instead usually attacks with its fangs, holds prey with its jaws, then swallows it whole. The emerald tree boa is a primitive snake with two lungs and the remnants of a hip girdle. Boas have well-developed close-up vision but poor distance vision. Their acute sense of smell derives from a forked tongue that samples the air by bringing particles into their mouth. The tongue is also used to sense temperature.

I can't hear you . . . Like all snakes, the boa has no external ears. It cannot perceive sound but is capable of perceiving vibrations. Labial pits (heat sensors) on the upper lip allow it to sense its prey even in the dark. These pits are so sensitive that they can sense the heat from a human hand held one foot away.

You're on your own, kid: Gestation lasts six to seven months. Ovoviviparous, they give birth to 10 to 20 live young at a time. Born reddish-orange, at four months the young start to develop green coloration. This helps protect them since they spend most of their time in low bushes. Born about one foot long and weighing about one and one half ounce, parental care is entirely absent and the young must fend for themselves from the start. These boas are born with the ability to climb.

All your live long life: As with other boas, probably 20 to 30 years.

Climbers and swimmers: Almost completely arboreal, they are excellent climbers and swimmers and are most vulnerable on the ground due to loss of agility.

A big, bad bite: Tree boas live solitary lives except when mating. They are nocturnal hunters. Considered quite docile in captivity, they can still inflict a serious bite when annoyed.

Status: Common, but habitat is threatened.

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