boa

(bō`ə), name for live-bearing constrictor snakessnake,
common name for an elongated, limbless reptile of the order Squamata, which also includes the xlizards. Most snakes live on the ground, but some are burrowers, arboreal, or aquatic; one group is exclusively marine. In temperate climates they hibernate.
..... Click the link for more information. of the family Boidae, found mostly in the Americas. This family, which also comprises the egg-laying pythonspython
, name for nonvenomous constrictor snakes of the boa family, found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the S Pacific islands. Pythons climb and swim expertly. They kill the birds and mammals on which they feed by squeezing them in their coils.
..... Click the link for more information. of the Old World, includes the largest of all snakes, as well as many smaller ones. Members of the boa family have two functional lungs instead of one, as is found in other snakes, and vestiges of hind limbs; these primitive characteristics are indicative of their relationship to lizards. Each of the two tiny, internal leg bones ends in an external horny claw; the claws are much more prominent in males than in females. Boas capture their prey by striking with their teeth and simultaneously throwing their bodies in a coil around the victim. They then squeeze the animal so hard that they can stop the flow of blood to the prey's vital organs and prevent breathing, leading to unconsciousness and suffocation. Like other snakes, boas swallow the prey whole.

Over 30 boa species are found from Mexico to South America, with the greatest variey in the tropics, and two in the United States. Boas may be terrestrial, arboreal, or burrowing. Some are brightly colored, like the green and white emerald tree boa of the tropics (Boa canina), or iridescent, like the wide-ranging rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchris). Best known is the boa constrictor (Constrictor constrictor), which lives in a variety of terrestrial habitats from S Mexico to central Argentina. It averages 6 to 9 ft (1.8–2.7 m) in length, occasionally reaching 14 ft (4.3 m), and has dark brown diamond markings on a lighter background. The South American anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is a semiaquatic boa that inhabits swamps and river shallows, catching animals that come to drink. The longest member of the boa family and the thickest of all snakes, it may reach 25 ft (7.9 m) in length and 3 ft (90 cm) in girth. The rubber boa (Charina bottae) is found in moist regions of the far W United States and extreme SW Canada. It is a burrower, about 18 in. (46 cm) long, with a narrow, blunt head, broad, blunt tail, and silver-green skin. It feeds chiefly on lizards and rodents. The rosy boa (Lichanura roseofusca) is found in chaparral in the SW United States and N Mexico; it grows about 3 ft (90 cm) long. It has large, dark brown spots on a lighter background. Several species of sand boa (Eryx) are distributed from India and central Asia to N Africa and SE Europe; all are burrowers in sand. There are also several boa species on Madagascar and several on Pacific islands.

Boas are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Boidae.

Boa

the common boa constrictor (Constrictor constrictor), a snake of the constrictor family. The boa measures up to four m long. The color of its scales is very beautiful and variable, with a metallic sheen. The boa is distributed in tropical America, where it lives in forests, on the ground, and in trees. It feeds on small birds and animals, hunting them mostly at night. Like all constrictors, the boa crushes its prey with loops of its body. The skin of the boa is highly prized for its beautiful pattern. (It goes into the manufacture of handbags, briefcases, and other goods.)

boa

[′bō·ə] (vertebrate zoology) Any large, nonvenomous snake of the family Boidae in the order Squamata.

boa

any large nonvenomous snake of the family Boidae, most of which occur in Central and South America and the Caribbean. They have vestigial hind limbs and kill their prey by constriction

BOA

(1)Basic Object Adapter

boa

(2)[IBM] Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor in adinosaur pen. Possibly so called because they display aferocious life of their own when you try to lay them straightand flat after they have been coiled for some time. It isrumored within IBM that channel cables for the 370 are limitedto 200 feet because beyond that length the boas get dangerous--- and it is worth noting that one of the major cable makersuses the trademark "Anaconda".

BOA

Abbreviation for:
behavioural observation audiometry
British Oncology Association (Medspeak-UK)
British Orthopaedic Association (Medspeak-UK)

audiometry

(od?e-om'e-tre) [ audi- + -metry] A test that measures the ability to detect sounds of varying frequencies and varying levels of loudness. audiometric (-e-o-me'trik), adjective; audiometrist (-om'e-trist) See: spondee threshold

averaged electroencephalic audiometry

A method of testing the hearing of children who cannot be adequately tested by conventional means. The test is based on the electroencephalogram's being altered by perceived sound without the need for a behavioral response; therefore, the test may be done on an autistic, severely retarded, or hyperkinetic child who is asleep or sedated. See: auditory evoked response

behavioral observational audiometry

Abbreviation: BOA
A hearing test for individuals (such as children aged 6–8 months) who may not be able to signal their responses to sounds with speech or gestures, but who may reorient their eyes or bodies in response to sounds. Interpretation of BOA results is subjective and may not be reproducible.

brainstem evoked response audiometry

Evoked response audiometry.

evoked response audiometry

A computer-aided technique to average the brain's response to latency of auditory stimuli. Auditory brainstem evoked response (ABER), one kind of this type of audiometry, is used to test the hearing of those, esp. children, who cannot be tested in the usual manner. Synonym: brainstem evoked response audiometry

immittance audiometry

Audiometry that combines acoustic reflex testing, a reflex decay test, and tympanometry. Formerly called impedance or tympanometry testing, it is a test that measures the structural integrity and normal functioning of the tympanic membrane and the middle ear.

play audiometry

A hearing test of preschool children (ages 3 and up) in which the child is asked to drop a toy into a pail whenever he or she hears a tone.

pure tone audiometry

A test to determine hearing sensitivity and hearing loss in response to different sound frequencies. The test subject is exposed to sounds of specific frequencies within the normal range of human speech (about 250– 8000 Hz). Each tonal frequency is presented to the subject at different increasing intensities or decibels of sound until he or she identifies the frequency. A chart is constructed representing the range of detectable frequencies and the sound intensity (loudness) required to elicit a response from the subject.

speech audiometry

A test of the ability to hear and understand speech. The threshold of detection is measured in decibels.

visual reinforcement audiometry

A method of testing the hearing of children under 3 in which the child is rewarded when he or she looks toward a sound source.

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audiometry

averaged electroencephalic audiometry

behavioral observational audiometry

brainstem evoked response audiometry

evoked response audiometry

immittance audiometry

play audiometry

pure tone audiometry

speech audiometry

visual reinforcement audiometry

behavioral observational audiometry

BOA

boa

Synonyms for boa

noun a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur

Synonyms

Related Words

noun any of several chiefly tropical constrictors with vestigial hind limbs

Related Words