Family Boidae

Order Squamata
Suborder Serpentes (Ophidia)
Infraorder Henophidia (Boidea)

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Family Boidae

Morelia viridis.

Appearance: Relatively large, stout snakes.

Distribution: Most boines occur in the Neotropics although some species occur on Madagascar and in the southwest Pacific. Pythons occur in Africa, Australia and Asia whereas Sand boas inhabit sandy or rocky deserts from East Africa through India including southern Europe (Lichanura is an exception, see above).

Habitat: Boas and pythons inhabit a wide range of habitats from deserts to rain forests and even occur in the temperate coniferous forests of the Northwestern United States (Lichanura = Charina).

Size: This family includes the giants among the snakes although some boids may remain quite small (e.g. Eryx, Exiliboa, Charina are less than 1 m). Anacondas (Eunectes) and one python species (Python reticulatus) may reach 10 meters.

Food: Mainly mammals, Birds and other vertebrates.

Behaviour: Some boids (e.g. Corallus) and many pythons have temperature-sensitive pits in their upper or lower labial scales which are used to detect their warm-blooded prey.

Reproduction: Whereas boas and sand boas are viviparous, pythons usually lay eggs (up to a 100 in some large species). In fact, many pythons build nests or lay their eggs in burrows. Females of these species even incubate their eggs by coiling around the clutches and generating heat by muscular contractions.

Note: The pythons are often considered as a separate family (Pythonidae).