REPTILIAN TUESDAY #6

REPTILIAN TUESDAY #6

We’re loving trees this week! Yesterday’s mammal of the day was a Clouded leopard (they’re arboreal) and today’s reptile also lives in the trees. In fact tree is part of their name. Cool! So who is this super fabulous tree loving snake… Let’s find out!

MEET THE EMERALD TREE BOA!

Range/Habitat: Northern South America- Bolivia, Peru, Brazil/ rainforests

Diet: Carnivore: small mammals, birds

Length: 5-6 ½ ft

Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• Emerald Tree Boas are an arboreal snake (they live in trees) and they have many adaptations to live in the trees.
• Emerald tree boas are a bright green color and it helps them camouflage with the leaves of the trees.
• They have prehensile tails. They can hang from their tails.
• They curl around branches and rest during the day, because they are primarily nocturnal (active at night).
• They will curl around branches and hang their heads lower than their bodies to lunge at prey.
• Emerald Tree Boas are constrictors, meaning they squeeze their prey before swallowing them whole! They don’t have venom, but they do have long teeth to help grab their prey.
• Emerald tree boas have special pits around their mouths to detect the heat given off by other animals. This heat sensing ability helps them tract prey.
• Young Emerald tree boas are not green; they are brown, red and orange. They turn green around 1 year of age.

Wow! You have to have lots of cool adaptations to live in the trees! Thank goodness Emerald Tree Boas have plenty! What fun adaptations would you have if you had to live in a tree?