Boa Question

[marisa]

Hello peoples! O.k. first of all I know literally almost ZERO about Boas and my question is out of pure curiosity.

I was watching Snake Wranglers tonight and a guy had travelled to Belize to catch some snakes for a study to see why the boas on Belize mainland are almost twice the size of the same boas found on belize's islands/keys. Anyways this is besides my question...almost 90% of the boas he was finding (especially on the islands) were in trees. And not just a coulpe feet off the ground, a few were like 10+ feet up! He hardly found any on the ground it seemed.

But when you look at captive cages and what not almost all of them are long lower cages like coffin shaped. I hardly ever see a photo of these boas in cages with any real height. Now because I am totally boa ignorant, why is this?

Thanks for replies. :D
Marisa
P.S. I realize this is just one show and what not but it was odd seeing him find almost ALL these boas up off the ground when I am so used to seeing them in lower caging.

[Invictus]

It is a myth that boas are completely terrestrial creatures. They most certainly are not - they are semi-arboreal. (Even one of our BCIs spends more time perched on TOP of his hide box than he spends inside of it.) However, because they don't absolutely require a semi-arboreal environment, most keepers choose to keep them in more terrestrial cages, simply because it's easier and less expensive to build. But, give them a climbing tree and they WILL use it.

[Piers]

The larger a boa get the less climbing it does. They just get too big and heavy to much climbing, also the bigger pray is on the ground. Boas are mainly ambush hunters and "hide" out in the leaf litter. Their saddles mimic dead leaves and such.
Piers

[marisa]

Thanks for the answers guys. These boas definitly didn't seem terrestrial at all at the time. They were in ambush positions in branches. It was awesome looking.

Another interesting fact I heard on this show was he thinks that the boas living on the islands have more of an ability to change their colors/shades at will while the mainland boas don't seem to have this as much. *shrug* not sure if he is right but he showed an example that was amazing, right before the little female went into the hotel sink which he had to smash to get her out of! LOL

Marisa