Geographic Range
Rainbow boas (
Epicrates cenchria
) can be found in the Neotropical region of Central and South America, beginning in
Nicaragua and continuing to the Amazon Basin and the foothills of the Andes Mountains.
They are also found along the coast east of the Brazilian Highlands.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
Rainbow boas mainly occupy Amazonian rainforests and coastal rainforests along the
Atlantic. Sometimes, they can be found in nearby savannas. They usually stay on low-lying
tree branches or can be found close to the ground.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- savanna or grassland
- forest
- rainforest
Physical Description
Rainbow boa coloration ranges from orange to reddish-brown. Dark spots cover their
sides, and a dark ring pattern runs down their back. The underbelly and sides have
a lighter grey-like color. Three dark lines run parallel on top of their heads. Their
scales have an iridescent rainbow shine, especially after sloughing. Sexual dimorphism
is present. Females are slightly longer than males and have wider abdomens for embryo
and fat storage. Males, however, tend to be more muscular. Rainbow boas' length ranges
from 1.5 meters to 2.0 meters. On average, they weigh 1,306 grams.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- female larger
Development
Rainbow boas undergo an early development period of either egg yolk formation or where
an egg embryonic disk can be seen. Next, the mid-development period occurs. Fetal
heartbeats can be detected and there is more yolk. Then, late development occurs.
Fetuses are larger in size. Heartbeats are still detectable. Skeletal formation of
the skull and spine occurs, and the yolk disappears.
Reproduction
Male rainbow boas undergo male-male ritual combat starting in late autumn for access
to females. During this time, testicle length peaks. Females usually become pregnant
around 23 days after male-male combat occurs, indicating mating most likely happens
after the male display.
- Mating System
- polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Rainbow boas mainly reproduce through sexual reproduction and sometimes through asexual
reproduction. Females are generally ovoviviparous; however, some evidence suggests
that they may exhibit parthenogenesis. Females usually experience vitellogenesis between
autumn and winter. Mating occurs during the same period every two years. The gestation
period lasts between three and eight months and occurs between winter and spring.
They give birth between spring and summer. They do not eat during pregnancy. Typically,
females carry between one and thirty offspring. Offspring birth mass ranges from 12.4
grams to 30.2 grams. Rainbow boas become sexually mature when they reach a length
of about 1.5 meters. In males, sexual maturity length is reached at about three years;
in females, four years.
- Key Reproductive Features
- seasonal breeding
- parthenogenic
- sexual
- asexual
- ovoviviparous
Female rainbow boas invest significant amounts of energy during pregnancy toward their
developing young. Loss of muscle mass occurs during gestation. Female rainbow boas
will sometimes help break open the membrane encasing their offspring after birth.
Otherwise, the offspring break the membrane themselves. Offspring are precocial, so
they look relatively well-developed when born.
- Parental Investment
- precocial
- female parental care
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Rainbow boas can live between 20 and 25 years in captivity. The maximum recorded lifespan
in captivity is 42 years. In the wild, rainbow boas live between 7 and 12 years.
Behavior
Rainbow boas are solitary and aggressive. They do not live in groups and are rarely
seen. If they feel threatened, they will strike and bite. Females are thought to be
more aggressive than males. Also, rainbow boas are motile, meaning they are able to
move around. Rainbow boas are generally nocturnal, so they are typically active in
the evening and at night. Moreover, these snakes are mostly arboreal and terricolous.
They are usually found resting or hunting in low-lying branches, in bushes, or on
the ground.
Communication and Perception
Rainbow boas can recognize members of their own species through chemical cues. They
have specialized pits on their faces that recognize the body heat of prey. Heat recognition
and vision can be used to locate prey.
- Communication Channels
- chemical
- Perception Channels
- visual
- infrared/heat
- chemical
Food Habits
Rainbow boas are carnivores. They eat small mammals, birds, bird's eggs, reptiles,
and amphibians. Examples of prey include Tomes's sword-nosed bats (
Lonchorhina aurita
) and southern Amazon red squirrels (
Sciurus spadiceus
). They kill their prey through strangulation.
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- eats terrestrial vertebrates
- Animal Foods
- birds
- mammals
- amphibians
- reptiles
- eggs
Predation
Rainbow boas (
Epicrates cenchria
) bite to defend themselves against perceived threats. Also, rainbow boas release
foul odors from cloacal glands as a chemical defense. They will sometimes move away
from a threat or assume a defensive position: heads buried underneath their coils.
Specific predators of this species are not documented in the literature.
Ecosystem Roles
Rainbow boas are predators in their ecosystem, eating small mammals, birds, bird's
eggs, reptiles, and amphibians.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Rainbow boas are common in the pet trade. Their coloration makes them attractive to
potential customers.
- Positive Impacts
- pet trade
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Negative effects of rainbow boas are not reported in the literature.
Conservation Status
Rainbow boa populations are stable and not of concern to the conservation community.
Other Comments
Rainbow boas belong to the boa (
Boidae
) family. This family contains the strongest and largest snakes in the Neotropical
region. Rainbow boas are named for the iridescent shine of their skin. Their scales
refract light to create the rainbow effect.
Additional Links
Contributors
Justine Negron (author), Colorado State University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- rainforest
-
rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- polygynandrous
-
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- parthenogenic
-
development takes place in an unfertilized egg
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- asexual
-
reproduction that is not sexual; that is, reproduction that does not include recombining the genotypes of two parents
- ovoviviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs develop within the maternal body without additional nourishment from the parent and hatch within the parent or immediately after laying.
- young precocial
-
young are relatively well-developed when born
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- arboreal
-
Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- solitary
-
lives alone
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- infrared/heat
-
(as keyword in perception channel section) This animal has a special ability to detect heat from other organisms in its environment.
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- pet trade
-
the business of buying and selling animals for people to keep in their homes as pets.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
References
Andrade-Junior, A., M. Franca, V. Sudre, P. Passos. 2020. Are there threatened snakes at the end of the rainbow? Notes on the distribution and morphology of Epicrates cenchria, Rainbow Boa, in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Cuadernos de HerpetologÃa , 34, 2: 299-304. Accessed February 26, 2023 at http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/107458 .
Bento, H., A. Ferreria, G. Iglesias, F. Curcio, H. Lima, T. Araujo, A. Kuczmarski, R. Paz. 2022. Testicle histology of the Epicrates cenchria: a morphological and reproductive biology analysis. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary and Animal Science , 74: 853-861. Accessed February 06, 2023 at https://www.scielo.br/j/abmvz/a/fQHMK6jgMVNLt53qRbxHshS/?lang=en#ModalHowcite .
Calderon, M., A. Ortega, A. Catenazzi, G. Gagliardi, D. Cisneros-Heredia, C. Nogueira, W. Schargel, G. Rivas. 2013. "The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species" (On-line). Accessed February 02, 2023 at https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15154721/15154747 .
Donato, C., M. Dantas, P. Rocha. 2012. Epicrates cenchria (rainbow boa). diet and foraging behavior. Herpetological Review , 43: 343-344. Accessed February 07, 2023 at https://www.academia.edu/10014675/EPICRATES_CENCHRIA_Rainbow_Boa_DIET_AND_FORAGING_BEHAVIOR .
Gabirot, M., P. Picerno, J. Valenica, P. Lopez, J. Martin. 2012. Species recognition by chemical cues in neotropical snakes. Copeia , 3: 472-477. Accessed February 08, 2023 at https://www.jstor.org/stable/23273254?seq=1 .
Garcia, V., S. de Almeida-Santos. 2022. Reproductive cycles of neotropical boid snakes evaluated by ultrasound. Zoo Biology , 41: 74-83. Accessed February 07, 2023 at https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/doi/10.1002/zoo.21646 .
Grace, M., O. Woodward. 2001. Altered visual experience and acute visual deprivation affect predatory targeting by infrared-imaging Boid snakes. Brain Research , 919, 2: 250-258. Accessed March 09, 2023 at https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/science/article/pii/S0169328X01002480?via%3Dihub .
Kinney, M., R. Wack, R. Grahn, L. Lyons. 2013. Parthenogenesis in a Brazilian rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchria cenchria). Zoo Biology , 32, 2: 172-176. Accessed February 07, 2023 at https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/doi/full/10.1002/zoo.21050 .
Langeveld, C. 1996. The Brazilian rainbow boa, a beautiful terrarium dweller (Epicrates cenchria cenchira Linnaeus, 1758). Litteratura Serpentium , 16: 152-158. Accessed February 09, 2023 at https://www.snakesociety.nl/jaargangenoverzicht-e.htm .
Lourdais, O., F. Brischoux, D. DeNardo, R. Shine. 2004. Protein catabolism in pregnant snakes (Epicrates cenchria maurus Boidae) compromises musculature and performance after reproduction. Journal of Comparative Physiology B , 174: 383-391. Accessed February 02, 2023 at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00360-004-0424-6#citeas .
Lourdais, O., R. Shine, X. Bonnet, F. Brischoux. 2006. Sex differences in body composition, performance and behaviour in the Colombian rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchria maurus, Boidae). Journal of Zoology , 269, 2: 175-182. Accessed February 02, 2023 at https://zslpublications-onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00057.x .
Mede, E. 2023. "Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care (Epicrates cenchria)" (On-line). Crestwood Animal Hospital. Accessed February 07, 2023 at https://www.crestwoodvethospital.com/brazilian-rainbow-boa-care-epicrates-cenchria/ .
Solis, J., D. Bowman, D. Ward. 2015. Epicrates cenchria (rainbow boa): Feeding observation. The Herpetological Bulletin , 132: 25-26. Accessed February 08, 2023 at https://www.thebhs.org/publications/the-herpetological-bulletin/issue-number-132-summer-2015/366-07-i-epicrates-cenchria-i-rainbow-boa-feeding-observation/file .
de Camilo, M., J. Elizabeth. 2001. Comparative reproductive physiology of the Brazilian rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchria cenchria) and the ball python (Python regius) . Ann Arbor, Michigan: Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. Accessed March 05, 2023 at https://www.proquest.com/docview/304727818?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true .
2017. "AnAge entry for Epicrates cenchria Classification (HAGRID: 02938)" (On-line). Human Ageing Genomic Resources. Accessed February 26, 2023 at https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Epicrates_cenchria .
2022. "Rainbow Boa Epicrates cenchria" (On-line). az Animals. Accessed February 26, 2023 at https://a-z-animals.com/animals/rainbow-boa/ .