Report sightings of suspected exotic animal incursions
See it? Report it. Use the online form for any suspicious sightings.
Why is it important to report boa constrictor sightings?
The boa constrictor is not native to Australia and is a high risk of establishing populations in wide range of environments in NSW and across Australia.
The boa constrictor:
- can grow to a large size and be a threat to humans, particularly small children, domestic pets and other animals
- can feed on a wide variety of animals including small mammals, birds and their eggs, bats, small lizards and occasionally amphibians.
- carry viruses such as Incusion Body Disease and Ophidian paramyxovirus which are fatal for Australian snakes as they have no resistance to these exotic diseases.
Description
The Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor) originates from Central and South America, including northern Mexico and north-western Argentina, where a total of 10 subspecies of the boa constrictor occurs. They are one of the world’s largest snakes. Invasive population of boa constrictors have establishes in Florida and Cozumel Island in Mexico.
The Boa constrictor:
- has an average length of 3 m with an arrow shaped head
- jaws are lined with small, hooked teeth that are used to hold its prey while it wraps it body around to suffocate it
- can be variable in colour with tan, green, red and yellow colour combinations
- has distinctive patterns on the body (often referred to as saddles) of jagged lines, ovals, diamonds and circles which help with camouflage in the environment.
The Australian native carpet python reaches similar sizes to the boa constrictor and also has similar blotches, stripes and cross bands on their body. However, in addition to the browns and creams seen in boa constrictor colouration, carpet pythons typically have an olive-green colouration.
Breeding
Boa constrictors are prolific breeders:
- give birth to up to 60 live young, with an average litter size of 25
- reach sexual maturity around 3 to 4 years of age
- can live up to 30 years.
This snake is bred and kept both legally and illegally for the pet trade around the world.