Boas are not venomous snakes, instead they are constrictors as their name implies, which means that they use their powerful muscles to wrap itself around their prey and asphyxiate them. It combines gray skin with big red blobs and yellow-black lines that form a distinctive pattern; its skin is somewhat iridescent though, showing some blue and green hues sometimes. Since the red blobs are bigger towards the tail, it is sometimes called “Red-tailed Boa”. The eye is black, with the typical vertical pupils of most snakes. They inhabit rain forests, due to their preference to stay in warm, wet places with plenty of potential prey, which includes mice, birds and amphibians. Their preferred hunting technique is the ambush, waiting for prey to get close enough before launching an attack.

As for the images taken during sunset, there is a back story. The guide at Mirador El Pizote told me that he envisioned a picture with a Boa in the foreground and San Carlos river in the background. Initially, I did not think it was a good idea. During the afternoon, I was just sitting on a bench, when I saw the raging sunset colors over the river, and then the idea made a lot of sense. It was a humbling experience to see how other people’s ideas about photography can be really wonderful and I learned not to dismiss any ideas without at least trying.