Jamaican Boa Snake

Facts about Jamaican Boa snake. "Scientific name for Jamaican Boa snake is Epicrates subflavus and it is a nontoxic variety of snake that belongs to the genus Epicrates of Boidae family. These snakes are native to Jamaica, and they are also called the Yellow Snake due to their golden yellow color head. These snakes are largely found in the Goat Island of Jamaica. These snakes usually prefer to have a home in damp limestone woodlands. The Jamaican Boa is the biggest, native, earthly predator in Jamaica.

Features Jamaican Boa snake

The Jamaican Boa snake is a long snake that attains a maximum body length of 2 meters (6 1/2 feet), with a body mass of 5 kg (11 lbs). The head of the Jamaican Boa snake is golden yellow in color and they have black color crisscross crossbars along the front part of their body. These bars change to black color on the way to the posterior part of their body.

The Jamaican Boa snake color differs over its body length. Usually, the upper part of its head appears olive-green or grey in color, becoming orange, golden yellow or reddish-brown on the front part of its body. The body of the Jamaican Boa snake gets an increasing amount of black coloration from the neck to the tail, with black color crossbands on a yellow backdrop exhibited in the middle part of its body, merging to outline an almost consistent black area at the back part of the body, except for a few uneven yellow color markings.

The scales of Jamaican Boa are iridescent and reproduce the striking shine of the rainbow shine when its body is exposed to the light, particularly at the darker back-end of their body. Juveniles of the Jamaican Boa snakes have a light orange color on their upperparts, with dark brown or orange crossbands, and pinkish-orange color crossbands on their belly. However, the captive snakes are recognized to get the body color of the adult snakes until they attain the age of one and a half years.

Diet of Jamaican Boa snake

Usually, the adult Jamaican Boa feeds on rodents, birds and bats, whereas the juvenile boas generally feed on frogs and lizards.

Behavior of Jamaican Boa snake

The Jamaican Boa is an active snake at night, and it seeks out prey by sensing chemical signals by means of its forked tongue while it moves silently through the trees. Once the Jamaican Boa snake locates its prey, it usually uses an ambush plan, staying stationary until the prey comes within its range. It then strikes quickly, holding the prey in place by means of its needle-like teeth, at the same time as enveloping it in the coils of its well-built body. Every time the prey breathes out, the Jamaican Boa snake stiffens its grip pending asphyxiation takes place eventually, after which the prey is swallowed whole. Though the Jamaican Boa snake normally lives in trees, and because its home becomes increasingly distorted, it is used to hunt for prey on the ground, too. During the daytime, the snake seeks shelter in tree hollows, dense foliage, rock splits, or in underground holes. In the early morning, the Jamaican Boa may be found basking on rocks to increase its body temperature.

Reproduction of Jamaican Boa snake

Mating season in the Jamaican Boa commences in February and continues until April. Female snakes select a mate by smell, choosing males that make the most striking pheromones. The female Jamaican Boa snake may mate with numerous males in a single breeding period, with each mating occasion lasting for one full day, during which the body of both male and female snakes stay firmly intertwined. Subsequent to fertilization, the eggs are preserved in the body, where they are nurtured by yolk reserves for about six to seven months earlier than hatching. The juvenile Jamaican Boa snakes are born alive, ranging from 5 to 44 in numbers, with a body length of 50 centimeters (19 5/8 inches).

The average lifespan of the Jamaican Boa is 24 years in the wild, whereas in the captive, they can live more than 30 years.