Difference Between a Python and a Boa

What's the difference between a python and a boa?

http://tinyurl.com/3ykyjdb

Boas give live birth, pythons lay eggs?

@ Kaorte
I could've done that myself...the point of asking here was to hear several opinions from educated reptile keepers...not idiots from yahoo answers ;)

The best answer I did find was this...

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They both exist in varying parts of the world. They have similar habitats, but differing care should be practiced on each. This also varies between what TYPE of Python or Boa you have. Again, this caresheet is for Red-Tail Boas, or the classification of Boa Constrictor, only.

Red-Tail Boas come from South America, Central America, and the islands surrounding each. All types of Boa give live birth (except one type of boa), where as pythons will generally lay eggs.

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But even then...not a very scientific classification...considering the exceptions to their live birth/egg laying rule.

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Originally Posted by EsotericForest

@ Kaorte
I could've done that myself...the point of asking here was to hear several opinions from educated reptile keepers...not idiots from yahoo answers ;)

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well the yahoo answer was correct. If you look at multiple sites they all say the same thing. The information is already out there for you to find, and very easily so as I have demonstrated. Why do you need an "educated reptile keeper" to tell you what hundreds of websites say the same thing about?

Boas give live birth, pythons lay eggs.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

well the yahoo answer was correct. If you look at multiple sites they all say the same thing. The information is already out there for you to find, and very easily so as I have demonstrated. Why do you need an "educated reptile keeper" to tell you what hundreds of websites say the same thing about?

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Well if you want to go by that example, we should just eliminate all message boards right? Because really everything that is said over and over again when people come crying that they can't get their Royal Python to eat, is said over and over again on different websites on the internet? Why would you waste your time and answer any questions on here at all? You might as well just post that link over and over again everytime a person asks a question.

See my point? ;)

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Originally Posted by EsotericForest

Well if you want to go by that example, we should just eliminate all message boards right? Because really everything that is said over and over again when people come crying that they can't get their Royal Python to eat, is said over and over again on different websites on the internet? Why would you waste your time and answer any questions on here at all? You might as well just post that link over and over again everytime a person asks a question.

See my point? ;)

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My original post was intended as a joke... Because the question can be answered by a simple search engine. Many of the common questions asked over and over on this forum are asked over and over again because there are different answers and different opinions on the matter.

There is no different answers to this question. Even the other members who have commented have given the same answer that the first google result has given.

I don't mean to belittle your question (maybe I do?) I am simply pointing out that some answers are easily found through a simple search.

I apologize for me going off on you a bit. I simply felt your reply was a bit sarcastic, and belittling when I was trying to just go a bit above and beyond, and learn something about snakes I'm not even required to know. So the sarcasm toward what I felt was a somewhat humbling, simple question, kind of felt like a kick bellow the belt. It just came across to me as "You lazy idiot, why are you wasting our time with this?"

There is a species or two of Boa that actually lays eggs though:gj:

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Originally Posted by EsotericForest

I apologize for me going off on you a bit. I simply felt your reply was a bit sarcastic, and belittling when I was trying to just go a bit above and beyond, and learn something about snakes I'm not even required to know. So the sarcasm toward what I felt was a somewhat humbling, simple question, kind of felt like a kick bellow the belt. It just came across to me as "You lazy idiot, why are you wasting our time with this?"

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This actually comes at an ironic time as I am sitting in a class titled "social communication" where we are discussing metamesseges in text messaging on the internet.

Since I don't have my voice or my facial expressions on the internet, I cannot accurately describe my intent, and neither can you. :)

That is pretty ironic, and quite true. Again, I apologize over the conflict :)

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Originally Posted by EsotericForest

That is pretty ironic, and quite true. Again, I apologize over the conflict :)

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no hard feelings. It is the internet after all :)

Also, thank you for those who replied to my question...even though the exceptions to the rule kind of mess up the main reason for the classification in my mind.

Differences between boas and pythons include:

(1) With one exception, boas do not have a supra-orbital bone. All pythons have this bone.

(2) Not all boas have labial pits and if they do, they are located between the labial scales. Pythons, on the other hand, have theirs centered on the labial scales.

(3) The premaxilla (an area of the jaw) of boas are without teeth, while the premaxilla of most pythons are toothed.

As for laying eggs, remember, some of the sand boas are oviparous - the muelleri (West African Sand boa) and the jayakari (Arabian Sand Boa). Granted these eggs are laid very late in the developmental stage, they are laid nonetheless..........and there are other egg laying boas (Xenophidion).

With regards to geographical disbursement: Candoia are boas and do not live in the Americas............Indonesia, Fiji, New Guinea, Solomon Islands - also home to various python species.

Likewise, there is a new world python.

Directing someone to a Google search is fine and dandy - if the information in the google search is accurate - which it often isn't.

The difference is pythons are awesome and boas are just so-so.:P:P;)

Remember when you could go to a dictionary and get a clear and concise definition. Well, Webster definitely fell short on these two definitions.

Python=Any of various large constricting snakes (as a boa); especially : any of the large oviparous snakes (subfamily Pythoninae of the family Boidae) of Africa, Asia, Australia, and adjacent islands that include some of the largest existing snakes.

Boa=Any of a family (Boidae) of large snakes that kill by constriction and that includes the boa constrictor, anaconda, and python.