Does a Boa Constrictor crush its prey?

The boas and pythons are gaint constricting snakes. Many people imagine this means they coil themselves around their prey, and squeeze and squeeze until the victim is crushed to death. This is, in fact, not so. A Boa constrictor, or any other Boa or python, strikes at its prey with an open mouth. Backward-pointing teeth grip the animal while the snake quickly throws loops of its body around its prey. The snake may secure itself by coiling its tail around a fixed object, such as a tree, and then tightens two or three of the coils around its victim. This prevents the animal’s ribs from moving so that it stops breathing and quickly suffocates. As soon as the victim ceases struggling the boa unwinds itself and starts to swallow it. Boa Constrictors eat reptiles, birds and small mammals.