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Boa constrictors are found from northern Mexico to Argentina.
Of all the boas, this snake thrives in the most varied habitats. It shows, however, the least inclination toward water. It lives in deserts, wet tropical forests, open savannah, and cultivated fields, and from sea level to moderate elevation. Boa constrictors are both terrestrial and arboreal.
This snake feeds on large lizards, small or moderate-sized birds, opossums, bats, mongooses, rats, and squirrels. It is a nocturnal hunter and uses its heat-sensitive scales to locate its prey. The boa constrictor's preferred prey is bats, which they catch by hanging from the branches of trees or the mouths of caves, grabbing them out of the air as they fly by, and killing them by constriction.
In many parts of tropical America, Boa constrictor is valued as a destroyer of rodents. In some areas, these snakes have been domesticated for this reason.
Boa constrictors are not venomous, and instead have regular saliva. Venomous snakes have modified saliva, which is used to immobilise and digest prey.
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The longest recorded Boa Constrictor was 18 feet (5.5m) long!