Boa constrictor at the zoo

Boa constrictor at the zoo
Biographical information
Born	1991 or earlier
Physical information
Species	Boa constrictor
Gender	Male
Skin colour	Brown and glistening
Affiliation
Loyalty	Harry Potter Zoo (formerly) Brazil

"Brazil, here I come. Thanksss, amigo."

— Boa constrictor to Harry Potter in Parseltongue

This boa constrictor was a large male brown snake that lived at the zoo. It escaped after the glass on its enclosure vanished.

Biography

Harry Potter talks to the snake

This snake was bred in captivity sometime before 1991 when it was on display. This changed on 23 June 1991. After Dudley saw the snake and became uninterested, the snake came in contact with Harry Potter, a Parselmouth, who spoke to it. During the course of their conversation, he accidentally vanished the glass in front of its enclosure. The snake slithered free, leading Dudley to think it was after him. The freed boa briefly thanked Harry and told him that it was going to Brazil, the native range of its species. From there, the snake calmly slithered out of the reptile house. It is unknown if it eventually made it to Brazil or that it was possibly re-captured and put back into captivity.

Personality and traits

The snake looking at Harry Potter

Lonely and bored, the snake found it highly annoying to have zoo visitors tap on the tank's glass front every day. He had also always dreamed of living in Brazil. He also had a rather playful side, as he made a point of snapping at the heels of panicking Muggles as he left his former prison but without intent to hurt them.

Interestingly, the snake seemed to be capable of reading; when Harry asked if it missed its family in Brazil, it pointed to a sign which read "RAISED IN CAPTIVITY".

Behind the scenes

The boa constrictor depicted in the chapter art of the Japanese edition, illustrated by Dan Schlesinger

• In both the book and the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the snake winks at Harry. In real life however, snakes are unable to wink, as they have no eyelids.
• In the film, the boa constrictor was replaced by a Burmese python.
  • In the Brazilian dub, its Brazilian nationality is maintained despite its being a python.
• The boa constrictor was rumoured to actually be Nagini, but this has since been proven false, since Nagini was female, while the snake at the zoo was male, and Nagini had venom, while boas (and pythons) are non-venomous, using constriction to kill their prey. This has been confirmed by J. K. Rowling on Twitter.
  • Curiously enough, in the Spanish dub of the film, the snake is voiced by a female actress.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game