Rainforest boa constrictor9/27/2023 This rodent also dwells in jungle trees, running along the branches skittishly, and is now believed to be the emerald tree boa’s main prey. ![]() 10 contained small mammals, many of which were the rice rat. In 1993 though, Dr Joel Hendersen analysed the stomach contents of 11 wild emerald tree boas. The emerald tree boa was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, and were long believed to feed exclusively on birds. Source: “ Elegant Rice Rat (Euryoryzomys nitidus)” by Bernard DUPONT – CC BY-SA 2.0 When they are, it’s usually a sign of severe distress, such as fleeing a hungry crested eagle. Unlike the more active blunt-headed tree snake nearby, this species is hardly ever spotted on the ground. They occasionally seize prey running along their branches, but take the vast majority of their prey from the forest floor. The emerald tree boa swings slowly like a vine, keeping its body totally rigid and still. Night-time is hunting time, when they extend their green heads downwards to the forest floor to search for scurrying rodents. This is the serpent equivalent of a sloth, spending almost all its life coiled around a tree branch, which it grips using its unnaturally strong prehensile tail.īy day, the snake rests its head in the centre of its tightly wrapped coils, like a comfortable seat of expensive green cushions. The corn snake of the USA needs to eat every 10 days, but the emerald tree boa has one of the slowest metabolisms in the snake kingdom. This bright green snake is an ambush predator, and consequently, it can go for months at a time without eating. Source: “ Emerald Tree Boa” by chrisinphilly5448 – CC BY-SA 2.0 Its favourite branches of all are ones overhanging small bodies of water (which probably isn’t water you’d want to drink from). They spend their days curled up on branches, particularly mid height branches 2.5 metres above ground. They can be found at elevations of 0 to 1000 metres, but the key is rainfall emerald tree boas require an annual precipitation total of 1500mm or more.Įmerald tree boas live a life surrounded by swarms of insects, bright-coloured lizards, and small scurrying rodents making rustling sounds through the bushes. You’ll never find them eating rodents on a sugar plantation or curled up in your toilet at 1am at night. Unlike the surprisingly flexible boa constrictor, the emerald tree boa is an exclusive rainforest dweller. This coincides perfectly with the humid, ever twisting expanses of the Amazon rainforest. To the northwest, it crosses into Ecuador, Venezuela, Columbia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guinea. The epicentre of the emerald tree boa’s range lies in Brazil, but to the southwest their range crosses into Peru and Bolivia. © Wikimedia Commons User: APK / CC BY-SA 4.0 It has vertical pupils, and its hungry, crinkled face has strong hints of crocodile, which makes sense, as boas are a more primitive family of snake (like pythons). The emerald tree boa has a thin neck followed by a large, bulky head. This species’ colours wouldn’t be out of place in a McDonald’s ball pit, but up close, it looks like a savage predator. ![]() ![]() The species is almost entirely green-white, except for a 3cm blue-black mark under its chin, to mark the point where its mouth stretches to swallow prey. It has thin stripes or patches of white on its body, which cover a small surface area. This snake belongs to the same boa (boid) family as boa constrictors, but rather than beige and brown, the emerald tree boa is almost exclusively a light yet rich shade of green. This pattern is exactly what the 2 metre long emerald tree boa has evolved. If you ever needed to infiltrate the Amazon rainforest by stealth, which colours would you choose for camouflage? The ultimate choice would have to be bright green to disguise yourself against the foliage, with small white or grey spots to mimic the beams of light shining through the canopies. © Wikimedia Commons User: Ltshears / CC BY-SA 3.0
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