The boa constrictor lurks at night on small vertebrates, birds and reptiles. Its wraps itself tightly around its prey, but does not break the bones. With every breath of the prey it squeezes a bit harder, until the animal suffocates. Then the prey is swallowed in whole and digested by the gastric juices. This may take several days. A large boa constrictor with a length of 3-4 m sometimes devours even monkeys and capybaras. After such a huge meal, the boa constrictor does not need any food for weeks.