Emerald Tree Boa


emerald tree boa in rainforest tree

The emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) lives in South American rainforest trees. Their green coloration helps them to blend in with the rainforest background.

They reach a size from 4-9 feet (1.2-2.7 m).

They feed mainly on rodents, but will also eat lizards and frogs. They are non-venomous snakes and kill their prey by squeezing it. They are nocturnal feeders and spend their day coiled up in a tree. At night, they remain in a tree, but hang their head down waiting to snatch up unsuspecting prey.

Only adult emerald tree boas are green. For the first several months of life, they are orange as shown in the photo below.

juvenile emerald tree boa showing orange coloration

Over the first year of life they develop their adult green coloration.

They produce live young, in much the same way as guppies do. There is internal fertilization and the young develop inside the female. The female does not provide nourishment for the young - she just stores them inside her body while they develop. When they are fully developed the young emerge.