Emerald tree boa

The Emerald tree boa is a highly developed snake that is made to hide and hunt among the trees. The cold blooded animal is seen as scary to most people but it is a natural work of God.

Anatomy
All snakes are cold blooded meaning they have to warm themselves in the sun and cool themselves in the shade. Ectothermic is also another word for cold blooded. Snakes can be very small and very large. The Emerald Tree Boa grows to around seven to seven and a half feet long. A snakes body is covered in scales to protect itself. As snakes grow they shed dry scales to make room for new ones. When about to shed the eyes of the snake turn milky-white and it's body loses it's vibrant colors. When shedding snakes will not eat and will lie dormant before they shed and until they complete the task. Some snakes take long periods of time to shed and others over a period of a couple of hours.

Snakes are equipped with very sharp fangs for either grabbing prey or paralyzing them with venom. Snakes have a large jaw which they can dislocate voluminousness to engulf prey. In the snakes mouth they are either front or rear fanged. Front fanged snakes are most often venomous and sit towards the front of the snakes jaw. Rear fanged snakes are not venomous and sticky mainly to small prey as food. The Emerald Tree Boa is a frontal fanged snake, that is not venomous. Instead of venom it uses constriction. Constriction is when a snake curls around it's prey and starts to squeeze. With every breath of the victim it squeezes harder to cut off air supply. They have been known to grab birds out of the air. They have long curved teeth thought to be for holding on to prey.

Reproduction
The emerald tree boa usually breeds in the winter. This snake produces live young instead of eggs. Meaning that theses snakes are ovoviviparous. Many of the young come out in different colors than their parents. The different colors range from yellow, orange, and red. From the start these boas are left to fend for themselves. Within six to twelve months the snake will turn green like their parents. This helps them in the fact that they are then camouflaged. When they are born the already have the ability to climb.

Ecology
The Emerald Tree Boa lives in the South American Rainforest. It likes to hang out in the trees waiting for some animal to walk by. It spends most of it's time sleeping in the day and awake at night. It likes the hot and humid air of the rainforest because it provides a wet environment to shed in and keep moist. Commonly found in areas that receive over sixty inches of rain a year. These snakes are often kept as exotic pets.

Heat Sensing and the Jacobsons Organ
Snakes do not have spectacular eyesight. They rely on heat sensing organs that enable them to see warm blooded animals. These sense organs are mainly placed above or below the jaw line. They appear as pits or holes. They heat organs are not only used for hunting, but also for seeking refuge in dens because they appear as cool areas to the snake. The Jacobson”s Organ is used to smell. A forked tongue flicks back and forth collecting air particles. When the tongue is sucked back in and the snake inserts it into this organ. This organ then reads the chemicals in the air creating a sense of smell for the snake. The emerald tree boa stalks its prey by night. It sits cold in a branch with it’s head hung down. It has a tight hold on the branch, so that when it strikes it doesn’t fall out of the tree. The long hooked fangs allow the snake to hold on very tight and pull the prey up the tree. The heat organs and the Jacobson’s organ assist the snake by allowing it to see and to smell the oncoming prey. Both organs are needed by this snake so it can survive.

Captiviy
These snakes are kept in captiviy as an exotic pets. Many boa-lovers have them and breed them. Their bright colors and obsure nature make them atrractive. They need and tall narrow cage with many branches because of their love of climbing.