Boa imperator
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey (from a photo by Maximilian Paradiz) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Boa imperator (or Boa constrictor imperator in common usage) is a large and heavy-bodied arboreal species of nonvenomous, constrictor-type snake in the family Boidae. One of the most popular pet snakes (often bred in captivity) in the world, B. imperator's native range is from Mexico through Central and South America (west of the Andes Mountains, mainly in Colombia), with local populations on several small Caribbean islands. It is commonly called the Central American boa, northern boa, Colombian boa (or Colombian red-tailed boa), common boa and common northern boa.
Boa imperator is a wide-ranging species, living in both Central America and the northern parts of South America. As a result, the appearance of this snake varies greatly depending on the specific locality. As one of the smaller Boa species, they average between 1.3 m (4.2 ft.) and 2.5 m (8.2 ft.) in length when fully grown, but have been known to reach 3.7 m (12 ft.). They usually weigh around 6 kg (13 lb), although females are significantly larger than males. Lifespan in the wild is around 20–30 years, but 40 can be exceeded in captivity.
Although Boa imperator exhibits almost identical patterns to Boa... Wikipedia →
Recording1:12
Colombia · 2024
© Mauricio González · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:10
Colombia · 2024
© juanjbarretoj · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 5 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
No species of the same family or order lives in Panama City, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Boa sighting in Panama City on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 11th most-seen of the 24 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–May, July–September and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Boa in Panama City on a given day, against under 5% in January, June and October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Central American Boa sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Central American Boa sightings, Panama City ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in San Pedro Sula (Honduras, about 30%), San José (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Guayaquil (Ecuador, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Central American Boa is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Panama City (22 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
