--- description: Boa constrictors may actually stop blood flow by cutting off the flow of oxygen and blood through the body's circulatory system. title: The Surprising Way Boa Constrictors Really Kill Their Prey image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66afa8aa7212b5bf/69885c2be53abaceb84debc4/boa-constrictor.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Surprising Way Boa Constrictors Really Kill Their Prey ## Video: Wildfires, Beetles and Climate Change [Watch (HLS stream): Wildfires, Beetles and Climate Change](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wYhUFMcF.m3u8) (4:46)  _Published 2009-09-14. In this Climate Central report, Dr. Susan Prichard explains how tree-killing bark beetles flourish in warmer temperatures, leading to severe wildfires_  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Jul 23, 2015 5:40 PM CUT  Jiboia - (Boa constrictor) Jiboia - (Boa constrictor)Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Jul 23, 2015 5:40 PM CUT For decades, scientists thought that boa constrictors suffocated their victims to death by cutting off oxygen. Now, new [research](http://jeb.biologists.org/content/218/14/2279.abstract "undefined") suggests that the snake species may actually kill their prey primarily by cutting off the flow of blood through the body’s circulatory system. Researchers allowed boa constrictors to attack rats while measuring how the prey’s body responded, including taking blood pressure and heart rate measurements. The study, published in the _Journal of Experimental Biology,_ suggests that the snake’s grip cuts off circulation almost immediately. The lack of blood flow causes organs like the liver, brain and heart to stop functioning, causing death. These results don’t mean that prey doesn’t also suffocate, but the loss of blood flow throughout the body kills more quickly than the inability to breathe. “Rather than suffocation, circulatory arrest may be the most proximate cause of death during snake constriction,” the researchers wrote. Researchers performed the experiment on 24 lab rats that were given anesthesia prior to the test to reduce suffering. Scientists [told the BBC](http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/33637880 "undefined") that the research could provide insight on how to treat human crush injuries. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3969783/boa-constrictors-prey/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3969783/boa-constrictors-prey/"},"headline":"The Surprising Way Boa Constrictors Really Kill Their Prey","datePublished":"2015-07-23T17:40:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:31:56.866Z","description":"It's not what we thought","url":"https://time.com/3969783/boa-constrictors-prey/","keywords":["animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66afa8aa7212b5bf/69885c2be53abaceb84debc4/boa-constrictor.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66afa8aa7212b5bf/69885c2be53abaceb84debc4/boa-constrictor.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"boa constrictor","caption":"boa constrictor","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3969783/boa-constrictors-prey/","name":"The Surprising Way Boa Constrictors Really Kill Their Prey"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Wildfires, Beetles and Climate Change","description":"In this Climate Central report, Dr. Susan Prichard explains how tree-killing bark beetles flourish in warmer temperatures, leading to severe wildfires","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/wYhUFMcF/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2009-09-14T03:15:02.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wYhUFMcF.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3969783/boa-constrictors-prey/","duration":"PT4M46S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3969783/boa-constrictors-prey/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```