what kind of boas are these?

Discussion in 'Boas' started by Matthew_Arthur12, Jan 16, 2013.

  1. Matthew_Arthur12

    Matthew_Arthur12 Embryo

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    Seen couple boas im interested in but not sure what kind they are or how big they get. Any help would be great.
     

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  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. lisa owens

    lisa owens Well-Known Member

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    red tail boa
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. Matthew_Arthur12

    Matthew_Arthur12 Embryo

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    I know there red tail boas but was wondering what kind of red tail
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. Sharman Wisdom

    Sharman Wisdom HOTM Winner December

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    Only one kind of red tailed boa, Boa constrictor constrictor. There is another kind of boa that I have, he does not have a red tail he is a Boa constrictor imperator [the common Boa].
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. Matthew_Arthur12

    Matthew_Arthur12 Embryo

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    I know there is Guyana red tail boas and a s one was wondering if was anyway to tell difference between them all
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. geckolover22

    geckolover22 Well-Known Member

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    Im going to venture a guess as im not too familiar with boa morphs but the first two pics of the bigger boas seem like central american which is a smaller breed of BCI reaching 5-6 feet in length and judging by the pics the babies seem to be just BCI common boa
    There's a lot of mixes so the best way to tell exactly what it is is to ask the breeder. They could have true redtail mixed in them that may make them grow a bit bigger than expected so its always good to know what the genetics are. As for telling boas apart usually there's key differences in them that sets them apart but again when mixed with different locales the tend to blur the specific differences.
     
  12. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    Boa constrictors come in a variety of flavors. They are a taxonomic nightmare honestly... there are several subspecies populations along with locality differences. There are even differences within subspecies based purely as to whether they originated from the mainland or from island populations. This results in morphological differences in color, pattern, head shape, body girth, and overall mass and length. As a general rule, island boas have narrower heads, shorter body length, lower mass, and more arboreal tendencies. Mainland boas are generally larger.

    The main hitters are either Boa constrictor constrictor (BCC) or Boa constrictor imperator (BCI). The prior are the true Red-tails, the BCI are the simply called common boas as Sharman Wisdom noted. Regardless, they are all the species Boa constrictor.

    I'll be honest in that I haven't personally looked at enough locales in person to be confident in knowing what exactly is in yours. As geckolover said, mixing of localities can result in morphological differences that influence size. Looks like a Colombian BCI in my opinion, or at least partly.
     

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