![]() Known from a single fossilized vertebra, T. ![]() At the time it was the largest terrestrial vertebrate in the world. One extinct relative of modern boas ( Titanoboa cerrejonensis) lived between the end of the Cretaceous Period (some 65.5 million years ago) and the middle of the Eocene Epoch (about 40 million years ago). Bolyeria multocarinata was similar and went extinct owing to human introduction of rats and other predators. It is unique among snakes in that the lower jaw is hinged in the middle, which enables the snake to grasp hard-bodied skinks with a firm ratchetlike grip. The single surviving species of family Bolyeriidae ( Casarea dussumieri) lives on Mauritius and Round Island. They are predominantly terrestrial, occasionally foraging in low trees and bushes to hunt small vertebrates, especially amphibians and lizards. Bolton/Įxcept for two egg-laying Asian species (genus Xenophidion), the 24 dwarf boas of family Tropidophiidae bear live young and live in the West Indies, Central America, and northern South America. Mammals and birds are common prey, which is usually captured by a bite-grasp followed by constriction. Most species have labial (lip) pits with heat-sensing organs that complement their sense of smell and excellent vision. The young often move from the trees to the ground as they get older and larger. Except for the anacondas, most boines are terrestrial to strongly arboreal. The rainbow boa ( Epicrates cenchria) of Costa Rica to Argentina is not strongly patterned but is markedly iridescent. An example is the 1.8-metre (6-foot) emerald tree boa ( Corallus caninus) of tropical South America the adult is green above, with a white dorsal stripe and crossbars, and yellow below. Several tree boas possess sizable teeth used for catching birds. One subspecies, the red-tailed boa ( Boa constrictor constrictor), is particularly popular in the pet trade. The boa constrictor occupies a variety of habitats from coastal northern Mexico and the Lesser Antilles to Argentina though seldom more than 3.3 metres (11 feet) long, some have grown to more than 5 metres. Members of Boinae range from 1 metre (3.3 feet) long in some species to commonly more than 4 metres in the giant, or green, anaconda. Boinae includes the boa constrictor ( Boa constrictor), tree boas (genus Corallus), and anacondas (genus Eunectes) of the American tropics two other genera are found on Madagascar and islands of the southwestern Pacific. The true boas are divided into two subfamilies, Boinae and Erycinae. In addition, boa may also refer to two other groups of snakes: the Mascarene, or split-jawed, boas (family Bolyeriidae) and dwarf boas (ground and wood boas of the family Tropidophiidae) these two families are not closely related to each other or to the true boas. There are more than 40 species of true boas (family Boidae).
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