Weird n' Wild Creatures Wiki
Register
Advertisement

It's almost impossible to spot an emerald tree boa in the Amazon Rainforest, where thousands of these clever predators spend most of their lives in trees. In fact, some of these snakes may never even touch the ground. Wrapped around a branch, the boa looks like a big vine until it springs to life. It will even chase prey through the treetops.

Feel the Heat: Pits that line both sides of the emerald tree boa's mouth are sensitive to heat. The snake can feel a temperature change of .05 degrees through them, which easily alerts the predator to the body heat of approaching prey.

Hangman: This snake's entire body is packed with power. The emerald tree boa can hang from a tree and hold its thick, muscular body in place by wrapping just the last few inches of its tail around a branch.

Tree Hugger[]

Emerald Tree Boa Back Image

The emerald tree boa lives an arboreal life, which means it spends all of its time in the trees. The snake usually wraps its body around a thick branch and waits. When potential prey draws close, the boa makes a lightning-fast strike and wraps its body around the victim (shown left), squeezing the life out of it. The snake swallows its meal whole, often with most of its body still hanging from the branch.

Say Ahhh! Most boas have small teeth, but this one has long fangs that lock onto prey. The emerald boa's species name, caninus, refers to these teeth, which are comparable to a dog's long canine teeth.

Bright Idea: Adults of this species are bright green and blend in completely with the leaves and vines in their habitat. The young, however, are orange or red. This fools enemies into thinking they are venomous.

Mid-Air Collision[]

  1. The emerald tree boa senses the body heat of an approaching warm-blooded animal. It slides part of its body off its branch and sees a macaw flying toward it.
  2. Many snakes cannot catch flying prey, but the emerald tree boa can strike in the blink of an eye, and its aim is always right on target.
  3. With the bird skewered on its long teeth, the boa wraps its coils around its prey. Using the tree branch as leverage, the snake crushes the bird and swallows its meal head first.

Trading Card[]

Trivia[]

Advertisement