Boa esmeralda

They are found in South America's Amazonian regions and the Guyanas.

They are an arboreal species that occasionally descend to the ground to bask in the sun. They owe their name to the bright green colour of their skin. Hatchlings are reddish brown in colour. At 4 months, they begin to develop their green adult colouring.

They are an ovoviviparous species, meaning that the embryo develops fully in the egg inside the mother's body, where they hatch and are born as live young after a gestation period of 6 to 7 months. These snakes generally give birth to 5 to 12 young at a time and every two years.

During the day they remain coiled on a branches. They are nocturnal and hunt by ambush, hanging from a branch from which they capture most of their prey during the night, snatching them from the ground. They perceive their prey primarily through sight and infrared heat receptors located on their labial scales. These receptors are essential for locating prey at night.

Threats to this species include hunting for sale as pets, habitat loss due to pollution and deforestation.