The Boidae is a family of non-venomous snakes which includes familiar species such as the Common Boa (Boa constrictor), the Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria), and the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus). Five subfamilies, comprising 12 genera and 49 species, are currently recognized.
The boids are primitive snakes which use constriction to acquire prey. Some of the largest snakes in the world are within this family, including all anaconda species. Most species are found in North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean, while a few are found in southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, Northern, Central and East Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula, Central and southwestern Asia, India and Sri Lanka, the Moluccas, and New Guinea through to Melanesia and Samoa.