Note: Relatively common snake, which can reach lengths of 4.5m, though most adults are only 2-3m.

Habitat: Forests and shrublands in lowland dry, moist, wet, and premontane moist and wet forests.

Food: Kills by constriction. Eats a varied diet, including birds, lizards, bats, and mammals. Cannot kill or eat animals as large as cattle, contrary to folklore.

Reproduction: Viviparous.

Biology: They are arboreal and can be seen during the day but are more active at night. Captive boas can live 25-35 years.

Source: Savage, Jay M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 935pp.