Cuban Boa

An arboreal species endemic to Cuba. It is an insular animal found in holes, under rock piles and on cultivated land.

It is a constrictor hunter and, when it catches its prey, it wraps its body around it. With each exhalation from the prey, it squeezes harder until it suffocates it, then it swallows the prey head-first by unhinging its jaws.

It is ovoviviparous, meaning the eggs develop inside the mother's body, covered by a membrane rather than a shell. It then gives birth to 6 or 7 live young that are independent from birth.

It is hunted and killed by humans because they believe it eats their chickens.

Conservation Status

Extinct

Extinct in the wild

Critically endangered

Endangered

Vulnerable

Near threatened

Least concern

Insufficient data

Not evaluated

DID YOU KNOW ...

It is the main predator of the Cuban Hutia, a species of rodent. For this reason it is considered a key species in the island's ecosystem, because it prevents infestations.