A coiled orange Brazilian rainbow boa with dark rings. — Photo: KaroH, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Brazilian Rainbow Boa

Epicrates cenchria

An Amazon boa whose scales act like tiny prisms, making its skin shimmer with rainbow colors.

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About the Brazilian Rainbow Boa

Brazilian rainbow boas are 4 to 6 feet long, reddish-brown with black markings. Tiny ridges on their scales act like prisms, splitting light into rainbow colors. They live in the Amazon River basin, the Guianas and southern Venezuela, mostly on the ground in humid woodlands and sometimes savannas. They eat rodents, birds and lizards, ambushing and squeezing their prey.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Epicrates cenchria^[1]
Size: 4 to 6 feet long.^[1]
Lifespan: Up to 20 years in human care.^[1]
Diet: Carnivore. Rodents, birds and lizards.^[1]
Habitat: Humid woodland forests and sometimes savannas.^[1]
Where it lives: The Amazon basin, the Guianas and southern Venezuela.^[1]
Babies: Usually 12 to 25 live young after about 5 months.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2013).^[2]

Fun facts

Tiny ridges on its scales make rainbow colors.^[1]
A boa is ready to breed when it reaches a certain length, not age.^[1]
Newborn rainbow boas are 15 to 20 inches long.^[1]

Vocabulary

constrictor: A snake that kills prey by wrapping around it and squeezing.
iridescent: Shimmering with colors that change in different light.
viviparous: Giving birth to live young instead of laying eggs.
prism: Something that splits light into rainbow colors.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · AmazoniaSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Brazilian rainbow boa.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/brazilian-rainbow-boa (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Epicrates cenchria (Rainbow Boa).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15154721/15154747 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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