Attempts

After several hours had passed, he finally got a hold on the tail of the snake and yanked it from the whole that he had created before. When Mark pulled the serpent out of the hole everyone was stunned at the very sight of it. It wasn’t the rattlesnake that animal rescuers had predicted it to be. It was a massive Colombian red-tailed boa constrictor which was quite common in the jungles but they seldom came into the habitation. Then how did a boa constrictor manage to enter their attic?

Boa Constrictor

They are generally found in tropical North, Central, and South America. They are rarely found in the forest but are exclusively bred and kept in captivity. They are seldom aggressive and their bites are not that dangerous. Even if it bites someone, the person can be given simple medications and he would be fine.

Red-tailed Boa

Generally, they are referred to as red-tailed boa because of the red color in their tail. They belong to the family of Boidae which comes in the category of nonvenomous snakes but their bites are really painful indeed. Boa constrictors are their subspecies and in the exotic pet trade, they are too referred to as “BCC” which is its scientific name.

Size And Structure

They are usually heavy-bodied snakes and their length can be up to 3–13 ft and the one found in the attic was too 6 feet long. But mostly their length depends on the locality and environment these snakes live in. They can weigh up to  27 kg (60 lb) and in the case of females, the weight can go up to 10 to 15 kg (22 to 33 lb).

Non-Venomous But Dangerous

Though they are not venomous snakes, they have large fangs. They can strangle anyone to death if at all they don’t make them their prey. Which in turn is more painful than death from their bite. They rarely interact with other snakes unless they have to mate. They would not be even visible in the daylight as they are nocturnal in nature. But when the night temp is quite low they often bask in sunlight during the day. Would the local snake trapper be able to catch such a serpent?

Crucial Time

The moment he started the mission, the family was just praying that he would take the snake down carefully. It took almost two hours before Mark could pull it out and as he took him out of the attic the family sighed in relief. Mark very casually held the snake in his hand and happily posed with him. Such a brave boy!