![]() ![]() They are also common in the pet trade, though pet owners are often unaware of how quickly they grow from a small neonate to a large adult. Some homes even bring constrictors inside to prevent or quell rodent infestations. Humans and boa constrictors have a somewhat mutually beneficial relationship in many parts of tropical America, where they are valued pest controllers. They are hunted and collected for their skin, which is considered exotic in many parts of the world. They are listed under CITES Appendix II, and the subspecies B. Instead, this animal relies on its tongue and its excellent vision to collect sensory information about its surroundings (like other snakes do).īoa constrictors have not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Larger members of the Boidae family have heat-sensitive pits on their heads, but boa constrictors do not. By keeping blood from flowing to the brain, the animal dies. Once the snake has its body wrapped around the prey, it squeezes just enough to cause a “circulatory arrest” by cutting off the ability of the heart to pump blood in and out. It is commonly believed that boa constrictors subdue their prey by crushing their bones or squeezing their lungs to suffocate them, but recent research on the constriction method revealed that these snakes employ a different strategy all together. Their teeth are small and hooked, which allows for a strong grip when the snake strikes its prey and prevents the prey from wiggling free while the snake wraps its powerful body around the victim. The body can be tan, green, red, or yellow and will have cryptic patterns that form bars, jagged lines, diamonds, and circles. In fact, in some places in South America, boa constrictors are used to control rat infestations inside homes.ĭepending on the habitat that a boa constrictor occupies, its patterns and coloring vary to allow it to camouflage. "In general, we lean on physical characteristics for positive identification of species. Behavior is much more variable and open to interpretation than anatomy," said Maggie McCartney, coordinator of the Wildlife Care Academy at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. "If a non-venomous watersnake is swimming quickly, for example, it is likely that most of its body will be at the surface.While many others may be afraid of boa constrictors, there are very few cases of them attacking humans even human babies are too large to be suitable prey for boa constrictors. In addition, even in the eastern U.S., identifying snakes based on their behavior rather than their anatomy is unreliable. He said species of venomous snakes common in eastern states – copperheads, cottonmouths and larger rattlesnakes – swim with their entire bodies afloat, while non-venomous snakes, including water snakes, garter snakes, and ribbon snakes, keep only their heads afloat as they swim. In other regions, swimming above water is either not a telltale sign that a snake is venomous, or it is not known, he said. However, the behavior is only known to hold true in the eastern region of the U.S., said Harry Greene, emeritus professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University, who has studied snakes throughout his career. The post describes a general distinction between the way in which venomous and non-venomous snakes swim. Distinction only known to apply to eastern U.S. USA TODAY reached out to the poster for comment. The user made the post on in the "Cleveland County Animal Control, Ethical and Legal" Facebook group, which states it is not affiliated with or part of any official county organization.Įxperts say that there is no universal key to distinguishing a venomous snake from a non-venomous snake. The June 4 post says venomous snakes, such as the copperhead, swim in water with their entire bodies visible on the surface, while non-venomous water snakes submerge most of their bodies and keep only their heads above water. Nevertheless, fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias in the U.S. That might explain why 1,700 users shared a Facebook post that claimed to have an easy way to tell the difference between snakes that have venom and those that don't – a way that turns out to be unreliable. Fewer than one in every 37,500 Americans are bitten by snakes each year. ![]() Watch Video: Poisonous snakes: most venomous fangs in America The claim: You can tell whether a snake is venomous by how it swimsĪmericans are nine times more likely to die from being struck by lightning than from a venomous snakebite, according to the University of Florida’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. ![]()
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