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A pale Amazon tree boa coiled around a branch.
Photo: Geoff Gallice, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Amazon Tree Boa

Corallus hortulana

A slender, many-colored tree boa of South America that hangs from branches in an S shape to ambush prey.

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About the Amazon Tree Boa

Amazon tree boas, also called garden tree boas, are usually 47 to 59 inches long and come in many colors and patterns. They live in humid forests, savannas and dry forests across the Amazon region and nearby areas. They mostly stay in trees but sometimes come to the ground, and eat birds, bats, frogs, rodents, lizards and opossums.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Corallus hortulana[2]
Size
Usually 47 to 59 inches long.[1]
Diet
Carnivore. Birds, bats, frogs, rodents, lizards and marsupials.[1]
Habitat
Humid forests, savannas and dry forests.[1]
Where it lives
The Amazon region of South America, plus Trinidad and Tobago.[1]
Babies
Live young after 6 to 8 months.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2013).[2]

Fun facts

  • Amazon tree boas come in many different colors.[1]
  • They hunt both by sight and by sensing heat.[1]
  • They're also called garden tree boas.[1]

Vocabulary

ambush
To hide and wait, then attack by surprise.
constrictor
A snake that kills prey by wrapping around it and squeezing.
arboreal
Living mostly in trees.
infrared
Heat energy that can't be seen but can be sensed.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Amazon tree boa.” https://www.sfzoo.org/amazon-tree-boa/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Corallus hortulana (Amazon Tree Boa).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/203210/2762194 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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