Central American Boa
Central American BoaCentral American BoaCentral American BoaCentral American Boa

Central American Boa

Boa imperator

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Tikal National Park
8 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
739 Verified sightings across all 44 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted Active throughout day and night

About the Central American Boa

Boa imperator (or Boa constrictor imperator in common usage) is a large and heavy-bodied arboreal species of nonvenomous, constrictor-type snake in the family Boidae. One of the most popular pet snakes (often bred in captivity) in the world, B. imperator's native range is from Mexico through Central and South America (west of the Andes Mountains, mainly in Colombia), with local populations on several small Caribbean islands. It is commonly called the Central American boa, northern boa, Colombian boa (or Colombian red-tailed boa), common boa and common northern boa.

Boa imperator is a wide-ranging species, living in both Central America and the northern parts of South America. As a result, the appearance of this snake varies greatly depending on the specific locality. As one of the smaller Boa species, they average between 1.3 m (4.2 ft.) and 2.5 m (8.2 ft.) in length when fully grown, but have been known to reach 3.7 m (12 ft.). They usually weigh around 6 kg (13 lb), although females are significantly larger than males. Lifespan in the wild is around 20–30 years, but 40 can be exceeded in captivity.

Although Boa imperator exhibits almost identical patterns to Boa... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
2 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
3 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
4 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
5 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
6 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
7 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
8 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
9 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
10 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
11 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
12 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~20%
13 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
14 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
15 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
16 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
17 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
18 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
19 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
20 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
21 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
22 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
23 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
24 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
25 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
26 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
27 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
28 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
29 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
30 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
31 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
32 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
33 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
34 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
Insufficient data
35 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
36 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
37 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
38 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
39 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
40 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
41 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
42 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
43 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
44 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Central American Boa in Tikal National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Boa sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Central American Boa in Tikal National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Central American Boa in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.

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