Reptiles · Squamata · Boidae

Pacific Boa

Candoia carinata

Least Concern

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

The Pacific boa is a small, variable boa of the islands of the western Pacific, with a prehensile tail that it uses to climb despite its name. Its presence in the Pacific is a biogeographical puzzle: the boas are an essentially American group, and these islands lie half a world away from their closest relatives.

Weight

300 g – 1 kg

Size

60 cm – 1.2 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

RainforestIslandsCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Rainforest Islands

21countries 5parks11same family

Fun facts

Its presence in the western Pacific is a puzzle: the boas are an essentially American and Malagasy group, and how its ancestors reached New Guinea and the Solomon Islands is still debated between continental drift and dispersal on rafts of vegetation.
It is extraordinarily variable: colour and pattern change so much from island to island that numerous subspecies have been described, and several populations may be separate species.
It is viviparous and gives birth to up to thirty young after a gestation of more than half a year, without laying eggs.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Rainforest, plantations and scrub of New Guinea, the Moluccas and the western Pacific islands
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 7 months of gestation
Litter / clutch size: 20 live young

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/