Check out Australia Zoo’s Boa Constrictors!

Be sure to get up close with our beautiful red-tailed boa constrictors in Bindi’s Tree House, right here at Australia Zoo. Found throughout the Americas, these non-venomous, nocturnal hunters are well known for their method of subduing prey. You guessed it, they constrict!

Targeting small mammals, birds and bats, boa constrictors will use their tongue to gather sensory information. Once prey has been located, they can strike up to two-thirds of their body length. Crikey! Once the animal has been ambushed and secured in the boa’s mouth, it will begin to constrict its prey by wrapping around it in order to kill and swallow it whole. A large food item can take up to six days to digest completely.

Being a semi-arboreal species, these gorgeous snakes will spend most of their time in trees, hiding from predatory birds during the daylight hours. During cooler temperatures, they will occasionally come out during the day to sun themselves.

Red-tailed boa constrictors can be victim of the illegal pet trade. However, wild populations are flourishing and they are not listed as a species of concern. You little beauty!