The boa is a genus of serpents of the family Boidae. They are distinguished by having jaws which can dilate to enable them to swallow prey thicker than themselves. They also have a hook on each side of the vent; the tail prehensile; the body compressed and largest in the middle, and with small scales, at least on the posterior part of the head.
The genus includes some of the largest species of serpents, reptiles endowed with immense muscular power. They seize sheep, deer, etc, and crush them in their folds, after which they swallow the animal whole. The boas are peculiar to the hot parts of South America. The Boa constrictor is not one of the largest members of the genus, rarely exceeding six metres in length; but the name boa or boa constrictor is often given popularly to any of the large serpents of similar habits, and so as to include the Pythons of the Old World and the Anaconda and other large serpents of America. Research Boa
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Nature
Research Boa
