True, the enormous reticulated python ( Python reticulatus) can exceed twenty feet in length. Yet, such giants are just the tip of the iceberg, for boas and pythons come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Well, these magnificent South American creatures belong squarely to the boa camp-in fact, they’re sometimes called “ water boas.” Anacondas, like all king-sized constrictors, are great at snagging headlines. In pythons, but not boas, a pair of upper jaw bones called the “ premaxilla” bear teeth.Īt this point, you might be wondering where anacondas fit into all this. Also, the two families sport slightly-different body plans. Boas tend to bear live young, whilst all known pythons are egg-layers, with gravid mothers sometimes squeezing out over two dozen in a single clutch.
For instance, just when everyone thought Florida couldn’t get any wilder, the enormous Burmese python ( Python molurus bivittatus) began populating the Everglades during the 1980s, thanks largely to irresponsible pet owners.Īnother decent rule of thumb is reproduction. Note, however, that human globalization has helped many species artificially spread out and invade distant lands. While pythons are Old World snakes, boas also dwell in the Americas. But how can you tell them apart? And from which family does “your” serpent hail?īefore breaking out the field guide, take geography into account.
Since the world’s most heavily-built snake species are all either boas or pythons, this reptile probably belongs to one of those groups.
After brushing aside some foliage, your heart leaps when a huge, powerful constrictor slithers by. Picture this: you’re out hiking through a misty rainforest.
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