Here’s some news worth hisssssing about: Our Red-Tailed Boa Constrictor is the newest participant in our Animals Out and About program!

In this program, different animals are brought out every day for guests to meet up-close and in-person. Yesterday, our Red-Tailed Boa made her first appearance, allowing guests to walk (or slither?) away with a new appreciation for snakes.

Red-Tailed Boas can be found in a variety of habitats from Mexico to Argentina. The individual that we brought out yesterday was only a few feet long because she’s just a juvenile at four years old. But don’t let that small size fool you! They can grow up to 13 feet long and live to be 40 years old.

When they are younger, these snakes are arboreal, meaning that they enjoy being in the trees. Our snake was out on a structure that replicates the branching of a tree, which she was eager to slither through.

In our Animals Out and About program, the animals are always provided with some form of enrichment. Enrichment is anything that keeps our animals mentally and physically stimulated. The tree did both for our snake, allowing her another form of exercise while also offering her new sights, sounds, and smells.

Another purpose of this program is to promote conservation. While our Red-Tailed Boa was out, we also allowed guests to experience touching a confiscated snake skin. Like many animals out in the wild, snakes are often illegally poached for their skin or killed out of fear, which is not only senseless but harmful to the environment. Snakes are an integral part of any ecosystem they are found in, helping keep nature’s balance.

Come meet our boa, and so many more fascinating animals, sometime soon at the Science Center!