A little about what we do...

This is an animal physics research task, and we chose to find out about what forces a boa constrictor can produce. During this research task, we had to undertake some background information on the Boa Constrictor including its diet, characteristics, habitat and more, and, using this information we needed to plan and carry out an experiment related to this topic.

And that is how we roll.

Enjoy!

Feikatsuz 

The Boa - Background Information

Type:

Reptile

Diet:

Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:

20 to 30 years

Size:

13 ft (4 m)

Weight:

60 lbs (27 kg)

Group name:

Bed or knot

Did you know?

Some South Americans keep boas in their houses to control rat infestations.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

Boa constrictors wear some of the most distinctive markings of all reptiles. Depending on the habitat they are trying to blend into, their bodies can be tan, green, red, or yellow, and display cryptic patterns of jagged lines, ovals, diamonds, and circles.

Boas are nonpoisonous constrictors found in tropical Central and South America. Like their anaconda cousins, they are excellent swimmers, but prefer to stay on dry land, living primarily in hollow logs and abandoned mammal burrows.

Where they are found

Significantly smaller than anacondas, boas can grow up to 13 feet (4 meters) long and weigh more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Their jaws are lined with small, hooked teeth for grabbing and holding prey while they wrap their muscular bodies around their victim, squeezing until it suffocates. Boas will eat almost anything they can catch, including birds, monkeys, and wild pigs. Their jaws can stretch wide to swallow large prey whole.

Female boas incubate eggs inside their bodies and give birth up to 60 live babies. Boas are about 2 feet (0.6 meters) long when they are born and grow continually throughout their 25 to 30-year lifespan. The largest boa constrictor ever found measured 18 feet (5.5 meters).

Boa Constrictors slowly squeezes their prey to death

Hunted for their fine, ornate skin and for sale in the exotic pet trade, some boa constrictors are endangered and most have protected status in their range.

references: http://animals.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/reptiles/boa-constrictor/

Aim

To discover how much force a boa constrictor can produce.

Apparatus

To find the ratio of the force needed to snap bone to the force needed to snap lollypop sticks, you need as follows:

A pair of hands

Lollypop sticks

Newton Balance

Safety Glasses (you don't want splinters in your eyes right?)

A pair of really stylish safety specs

CAUTION: WHEN HANDLING SNAPPING WOOD ALWAYS WEAR SAFTY GLASSES OR FORFEIT A VERY PAINFUL EYE.

Method

Hold lolly pop sticks (starting with one) with your hands.

Hook Newton Balance onto the middle of the lollypop stick.

Pull down on Newton balance, 2N at a time until the stick snaps.

Record results.

Repeat three times and do it again for two sticks.

Results

Try            1 Stick             2 Sticks

1                12N                 23N

2                15N                 25N

3                12N                 21N

Average     13N                23N

Average     13N                11.5N

per stick

Average force needed to break one lollipop stick = 12.5N

Using the ratio of lollipop stick to arm (8 : 2.5) we discovered that it would take 40N to break someone's arm, which is the force that a Boa Constrictor can produce.

Conclusion

Our results lead to our conclusion which is that a Boa Constrictor can apply forces of at least 40N, definitely able to snap your arm and any other smaller bones in your body.

In other words, if you get tangled up in one, don't put your hopes up.