Columbian Rainbow Boa

Common Name: Columbian Rainbow Boa
Scientific Name: Epicrates cenchria maurus

Introduction:

The Colombian Rainbow Boa is a boa species whose scientific name is Epicrates Cenchiria Manrus. Its name arises from the gleaming sheen on its body predominantly visible in sunlight. This snake species is believed to be the most dependable of all Rainbow Boa species. The species comprises of a group of brown to russet snakes with indistinct lateral and dorsal spots surrounded with light crescents. 

Description:

The Colombian Rainbow Boa is a sparkling snake and displays a bright charismatic rainbow effect when in sunlight. Although the snake is born with black rings on the back, the pattern fades as it grows.  Adults have a brown to brownish pink color with a spot pattern and faint ring visible in bright light. Compared to the other boa species, the snake is small. Males seldom get bigger than 4.5 feet or 2m long. It is moderately thick bodied and very strong for its small size.  The snake is not venomous and uses teeth only to grip prey. It has solid teeth fused to its jawbone but it sheds its teeth periodically with new ones located on the jaw’s inner side normally replacing the shed ones. It has moderately poor eyesight but with its tongue flicks, it can smell the surrounding. The snake has iridescent and smooth scales with a blue to light purple shining.

Geographic Range:

This species occurs in of South America particularly in Brazil, Venezuela, French Guyana and Surinam.

Habitat:

This terrestrial snake commonly inhabits the tropical rainforests of South and Northern America. It is a ground-dwelling kind of snake favoring the edges of rocky regions and forests.

Behavior:

It is normally active at dusk and dawn. The snake tends to be incredibly placid but when young, it is habitually nippy, biting any moving object. However, with gentle and frequent handling, the snake can be tamed. Adults are easy to handle and moderately calm though some remain quite nervous for their entire lifespan. Moving gently and slowly keeps the snake feeling safe and happy. It is a carnivore and normally feeds on small mammals, birds and reptiles. It feeds by grabbing prey and wrapping their body around the prey 2 or 3 times before constricting the prey.

Reproduction:

The female gives birth to live juveniles without laying eggs. Colombian Rainbow Boas often breed annually and give birth to 12 to 15 juveniles at a time. The mating of the snake usually takes place in autumn and the female’s gestation period is approximately 6 months. At almost 10 days, the young are ready to feed on small mice.