constrictor
Snake that squeezes
A constrictor is a snake that kills prey by coiling around it and squeezing until the animal suffocates—boas and pythons are constrictors.
The term extends to any muscle that tightens or compresses a body part: the constrictor muscles of the throat.
More loosely, anything that squeezes or restricts: The debt felt like a constrictor around his finances.
Massive constricting serpent
- pythonNonvenomous squeezing snake
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
- terrariumGlass-walled growing enclosure
- vivariumEnclosure for living specimens
Amazon · neotropical · South America · herpetology · tropics · Ecuador · Guyana · exotic
Curve winding around center
- loopCurve closing on itself
- helixSpiraling three-dimensional curve
- whorlSpiral arrangement of ridges
- curlSpiral or loop form
twist · winding · gyre · volute · wrap · encircle · entwine · tighten
Force upon contact
- compressReduce volume by force
- suffocateKill by blocking air
- asphyxiateKill by blocking air
- gripSecure manual hold
tighten · crush · respiratory · circulation · immobilize · overpower · muscle · strength
Surprise strike from concealment
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- preyAnimal being hunted
- strikeForceful impact or stoppage
- stealthSecret, undetected movement
nocturnal · camouflage · hunter · lurk · capture · swallow · rodent · thermal
Plates or weighing devices
- muscularHaving well-developed sinews
- vertebraeInterlocking bones of spine
- ribsThoracic bone set
- jawboneLower skull bone
teeth · cold-blooded · ectothermic · forked tongue · Jacobson's organ · cloaca · spurs · vestigial
anaconda
Massive constricting serpent
- pythonNonvenomous squeezing snake
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
- terrariumGlass-walled growing enclosure
vivarium · Amazon · neotropical · South America · herpetology · tropics · Ecuador · Guyana · exotic · humidity
spiral
Curve winding around center
curl · twist · winding · gyre · volute · wrap · encircle · entwine · tighten · muscular
pressure
Force upon contact
- compressReduce volume by force
- suffocateKill by blocking air
- asphyxiateKill by blocking air
grip · tighten · crush · respiratory · circulation · immobilize · overpower · muscle · strength · death grip
ambush
Surprise strike from concealment
stealth · nocturnal · camouflage · hunter · lurk · capture · swallow · rodent · thermal · infrared
scales
Plates or weighing devices
jawbone · teeth · cold-blooded · ectothermic · forked tongue · Jacobson's organ · cloaca · spurs · vestigial · flexible
binding
Legally or morally required
secure · lashing · decorative · macramé · tight · cord · wrap
constrictorviper
Fanged toxic serpent
venomous snake · pit viper · cobra · rattlesnake · mamba
- boa constrictorSnake that crushes prey
constrict, constriction, constricted, constricting, constricts, constrictive, constrictors, unconstricted