Boa constrictor vs python8/19/2023 ![]() There is an old question: if we rewound the tape of life, would the same sort of animals and plants have evolved? Is it all determined by random events? Strong cases of convergent favor the idea that there is some predictability and we might expect to see something similar emerge. It shows us something about what we might expect about life on another planet if we know the conditions. “Evolution is thought to be generally unpredictable, but this shows it has some predictability. “Convergent evolution is an interesting topic,” he said. The incentive for camouflage, for example, has led to similar coloring across the inhabitants of the same sorts of habitats, to the extent that green tree pythons and their emerald tree boa equivalents look almost indistinct to the untrained eye.Įsquerre told IFLScience the observations have implications beyond our legless friends. Pythons and boas also display convergent evolution in other aspects. Boas give birth to live young, while pythons lay eggs. In captivity, boa constrictors can grow ten feet long, while ball pythons are typically only six feet long. Their diversity has ranged from modest burrowers to the enormous Anacondas and Reticulated Pythons more than 8 meters (26 feet) long.Īs an example of their commonalities Esquerre said: “Aquatic boas like anacondas, and Australian water pythons, have evolved the same head shape, with eyes and nostrils on the back not the sides, which is ideal for moving through water and observing their environment from below.” On the other hand, he said, the tree dwellers of each family “have eyes on the sides and very wide heads, ideal for grabbing prey from hanging branches.” Rather than simply noting the commonalities, Esquerre used specialized techniques to measure and quantify skull shape, to demonstrate mathematically how tight the convergence has been. After an ambitious businessman transports an 80-foot python to the United States, the beast escapes and starts to leave behind a trail of human victims. The main difference between ball pythons and boa constrictors are their size, how they reproduce, and their temperament. ![]() ![]() ![]() Boas have adapted to many ecosystems on all continents other than Australia and Antarctica, while pythons are widespread through Africa, Asia, and Australia. The two snake families allowed Esquerre to address this. ![]()
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