Boa Constrictor Found in Building's Trash Can

Two boa constrictor snakes have been found in a residential area in Ecuador, according to police.

The incident occurred in the city of Guayaquil, which is located on the Pacific coast of the South American nation. The serpents, which measured up to 10 feet in length, were found at a home in the city's Urdenor neighborhood on Monday, La Voz de Milagro reported.

Boa constrictors are large, thick-bodied, non-venomous snakes found in parts of South and Central America, from Argentina to northern Mexico. They thrive in tropical rainforests, but also inhabit other environments, such as savannas and semi-arid scrublands.

The typical length of an adult boa constrictor is around 10 feet, although specimens measuring over 18 feet in length have been reported.

The snakes are ambush predators that kill their prey using a method known as constriction. This technique involves the snake wrapping itself around the prey and gradually squeezing the animal to death with its powerful muscles, before consuming it whole.

Boas have jaws lined with small, hooked teeth that are designed for grabbing and holding prey. In the wild, the snakes will eat almost anything they can catch, but tend to consume small- to medium-sized mammals and birds.

In the recent incident in Guayaquil, police received a call reporting the appearance of two boa constrictors at the residence on Monday.

After finding the boas, one of which was hidden inside a garbage can in the building, specialist police officers captured the reptiles and transported them to the Cerro Blanco forest just outside of the city, TC Televisión reported.

Boa constrictors inhabit the forests around Guayaquil and, on occasion, they move into urban areas, sometimes in search of animals to eat, such as rats, possums and even cats, Fran Huilca, a sergeant with Ecuador's National Environmental Protection Police Unit (UPMA), told Ecuavisa.

"They are typical of here, they are native to the coastal zone," Huilca said.

Another reason they enter urban areas is that they are cold-blooded and they look for ways to stay warm. That is why they are sometimes found in vehicles and homes.

Several boa constrictors have been spotted in urban settings in Guayaquil and the surrounding areas in recent weeks.

One of the most surprising sightings was a boa constrictor that had managed to find its way into the engine of a vehicle. A video showing the snake's head emerging from the hood of the car as it was driving along a road has been shared on social media networks.

Newsweek has contacted UPMA via email for comment.

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