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Stop by the Desert Dome Sunroom for a peak at the new Jamaican boa babies.
The three babies were born on October 25, 2011 and weigh about 15 grams each (approximately the weight of 15 M&M’s). The parents are on display in Kingdoms of the Night. Omaha’s Zoo has five Jamaican boas, including the new babies. The adult male was wild born in Jamaica and came to Omaha’s Zoo in 2005 from California. He is approximately 10 years old. The adult female came to Omaha in 2007 from San Antonio Zoo and is 21 years old.
Jamaican boas or Yellow boas are endemic to Jamaica and is the island’s largest native terrestrial predator. As an adult they can be five to seven and half feet in length and can weigh approximately 11 pounds. The boas can be found in forest and woodland habitats. Their bodies range in colors from reddish brown on their upper body to black with yellow on the tail of their body.
The Jamaican boa is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List for Endangered species due to predation by introduced species, humans and habitat destruction.
This birth is the first time since 1998 where Jamaican boas have been bred in an AZA institution and is the first endangered snake that Omaha’s Zoo has successfully bred.