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Differences Between Boas and Pythons

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34 views5 pages

Differences Between Boas and Pythons

Uploaded by

aujsioqeioquwe
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Name: Ahmed

Is That a Boa or a Python?


by Guy Belleranti

When people think of snakes, boas and


pythons are two species that often come to
mind. They're alike in so many ways that
many people can't tell which is which.
Both types of snake use their forked
tongues to smell. Those that hunt at night
can widen the pupils of their eyes to let in
more light. They also use heat sensors on
their lips to find warm-bodied prey such as Red-Tailed Boa Constrictor
rodents.
When a boa or python captures prey, it wraps its muscular coils
around it, and constricts, or squeezes. This shuts off the prey's breathing.
The snake then opens its mouth wide and swallows the prey head first.
Muscle contractions in the snake move the food along as the snake
digests.
Some boas and pythons look so similar only a reptile expert, or
herpetologist, can tell them apart. One example of this is the emerald tree
boa and the green tree python.
So, how are boas and pythons different?

First, a boa's skull bones aren't arranged the same as a python's.


Pythons have more bones in their skull, and more teeth too.
Second, boa young hatch inside their mother and are born live.
This is unusual because most other reptiles hatch from eggs. Pythons,
on the other hand, do lay eggs. The mother python builds a shallow nest
made of leaves
and soil. She coils around her eggs and
keeps them warm and protected. When
it is time for them to hatch, the mother
python leaves and the babies must
survive on their own without her help.
One other difference between boas
Burmese
Python and pythons is where each type of snake
lives. Most boas are native to the Americas. Most pythons are native to
Africa, Asia, Australia.

About the Author


Guy Belleranti is an author of fiction, poetry, articles, puzzles,
and humor for children and adults. He also works as a docent at
the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Arizona. The information in this
article comes from his experiences teaching children about the
wild animals at the zoo.
Name: Ahmed

Is That a Boa or a Python?


by Guy Belleranti

1. Which sentence best describes the organization of the article?


a. The author lists facts about boas and pythons in sequential order.
b. The author describes differences between boas and pythons,
then describes similarities.
c. The author lists facts about boas and pythons in order of
importance.
d. The author describes how boas and pythons are alike,
then describes how they are different.

2. How do boas and pythons kill their prey?

When a boa or python captures prey, it wraps its muscular coils


around it, and constricts, or squeezes. This shuts off the prey's breathing. The
snake then opens its mouth wide and swallows the prey head first.

3. A hiker is walking through the grassland in Africa and he


encounters a large snake protecting its eggs. Is it probably a boa
or python? Explain how you know.
It’s a python because python born from eggs and boa don’t hatch from eggs.

4. What is a herpetologist?
Herpetologists conduct research on reptilian and amphibian species such as frogs, toads,
salamanders, newts, snakes, turtles, terrapins, crocodiles, alligators, and lizards.
Name: Ahmed

Is That a Boa or a Python?


Use information from the article to complete the Venn diagram.

Pythons
___
pythons are two species that often
come to mind. They're alike in so many
ways that many people can't tell which
is which.

Boas

boa's skull bones aren't arranged the same as a python's. Pythons have
more bones in their skull, and more teeth too.
Second, boa young hatch inside their mother and are born live. This is unusual because most
other reptiles hatch from eggs

Common questions

Powered by AI

The skull bones of boas and pythons differ mainly in the number and arrangement of bones. Pythons have more bones and teeth in their skulls, which may contribute to variations in their feeding strategies and prey handling relative to boas .

The heat-sensing ability allows boas and pythons to detect warm-blooded prey even in low-light conditions, significantly enhancing their hunting efficiency by enabling precise strikes in the dark or through foliage .

Boas are primarily native to the Americas, while pythons are mainly found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. This geographic separation contributes to their differences despite physical similarities .

A python might protect its offspring by coiling around its eggs, keeping them warm and shielded from potential predators until they hatch .

Boas and pythons can consume large prey by opening their mouths wide, aided by their skull and jaw anatomy. Muscle contractions then help move and digest the prey .

Boas give birth to live young, as their young hatch inside the mother. In contrast, pythons lay eggs, and the mother python coils around her eggs to keep them warm until they hatch .

A herpetologist, specializing in reptilian and amphibian species, can distinguish between similar-looking snakes like boas and pythons by examining anatomical differences such as skull structure and reproductive methods .

Pythons are more likely to be found guarding eggs because they lay eggs and protect them until hatching. Boas, which give live birth, do not exhibit egg-guarding behavior, making it more characteristic of pythons in a habitat like grasslands .

Boas and pythons use their forked tongues for smelling and possess heat sensors on their lips to detect warm-bodied prey. Those that are nocturnal can also widen their pupils to let in more light, aiding in hunting .

The emerald tree boa and green tree python display significant visual and behavioral similarities that make them hard to distinguish without expert knowledge. A herpetologist can identify them by closely examining their subtle anatomical differences, such as skull and dental structure .

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