Python for Unix and Linux System Administration

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The image on the cover of Python for Unix and Linux System Administration is a boa constrictor (boa constrictor). Found throughout South and Central America and some islands in the Caribbean, boa constrictors are non-venomous snakes that can thrive in a wide array of environments, from deserts to open savannas and wet tropical forests, but they prefer arid terrain over wet surroundings. They are both terrestrial and arboreal, but as they get older, they tend to spend more time on the ground.

Boa constrictors have very unique markings that include diamond- and oval-like patterns. Their scales change colors depending on their habitat, allowing them to hide from the forest-dwelling animals that hunt them.

In the wild, boa constrictors thrive on small- to medium-size rodents, lizards, bats, birds, mongooses, squirrels, and have even been known to feast on other mammals as large as ocelots. Being cold-blooded and slow moving, boas can go up to a week without eating after capturing large prey. They are solitary and nocturnal hunters, with heat-sensitive pads on their heads to help them hunt. Particularly fond of bats, boas will hang in trees and from the mouths of caves waiting for them to fly by, then they can grab the bats with their mouths. Not surprisingly, boa constrictors kill by constriction. The snake wraps its body around its prey in coils, tightening its grip each time the victim breathes out, eventually suffocating it to death.

Boas are a common attraction in zoos, and ...