Reptiles · Squamata · Boidae

Puerto Rican Boa

Chilabothrus inornatus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Chilabothrus inornatus, also known as the Puerto Rican boa, is a boa endemic to the island of Puerto Rico. It belongs to the genus Chilabothrus of the subfamily Boinae. It is a terrestrial snake with dark brown colouring. It grows to 1.9 m in length. It feeds on small mammals such as rodents and bats, on birds and on lizards. Like all boas it is viviparous and kills its prey by constriction, squeezing its victims to death.

Weight

1.5 kg – 4 kg

Size

1.5 m – 2.3 m

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

It hunts bats by hanging from the roof at cave mouths: it holds on by its tail alone and catches its prey in flight in the half-light, behaviour it shares with the Cuban boa.
In 2022 it was removed from the United States federal list of threatened species after decades of protection: it is one of the few Caribbean reptiles to have completed a formal recovery process.
It is completely harmless to people, but persecution out of fear remains a cause of death, especially when it turns up in inhabited areas.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Moist forest, karst, caves and abandoned plantations of Puerto Rico
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 5 months of gestation
Litter / clutch size: 25 live young

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilabothrus_inornatus