Could someone help explain what they mean on this site?

[Raaru Venn]

So I was looking at this website

And I noticed they have what they call Central American boa, Jungle Boa (Columbian), And then the Columbian Red tail Boa. I don't honestly understand the differences in those snakes that they are offering. (Not trying to advertise them by the way.)

It's the boa section of Backwaterreptiles.com I can't link the page for some reason.

[chairman]

First, I would visit the BOI forum on faunaclassifieds.com and search the company's name.

Someone with a better understanding of boa locales can provide additional assistance on what the marketing labels mean.

[dannybgoode]

The Columbian red tail is what is also known as the common boa and is what you would generally find in a pet store labelled as a boa constrictor. Its a bit misleading as the true red tail boa is the 'real' Boa constrictor and the Columbian red tail a Boa imperator (see one of nightflight's posts for an indepth explanation of the taxonomy).

The true red tail Boa constrictor is generally larger and has a much more vivid red to the tail. They are simply stunning snakes and for one with proven locality (that is you know for sure where it comes from through breeding records etc) would generally be more expensive than a common boa.

A 'jungle' Columbian is a morph - that is a snake bred for specific markings (like say an albino) but is still just a Boa imperator with specific colouration and patterns.

A Central American boa could describe a Boa imperator coming from a number of - well you guessed it - Central American countries (Nicaragua, Mexico etc). They are still Boa imperators but tend to stay on the smaller side and generally have slightly different colouration to Columbian boas.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Red tail is an informal/colloquial name given to the boa constrictor complex (which have been split into separate species now). Pet stores use this to bump prices because red tails are fairly rare and/or to make the snakes more amenable to the public's purchase. "Boa constrictor" tends to scare away impulse buyers.

Jungle is a pattern and color mutation, or morph. If the jungle was marked Colombian, then it too was a Colombian boa constrictor, just with a heritable mutation to make it appear different than the wild-type.

As a side note, Columbia is a city and Colombia is a country. Just something that irks me, especially when a reptile-specific company does it. >.>

Another side note: don't buy from Backwater Reptiles.

[Raaru Venn]

So when they say Boa c. constrictor For the Central american boa. They mean: Boa constrictor Constrictor? And that's the true red tail that tends to grow larger than the Boa c. imperator? Because I'm looking for a boa that grows to a decent size, and if the imperators are smaller then I think I might want to go with the Central American one though.

However, that was really insightful and I believe helped me out a good bit.

[Raaru Venn]

Thank you for the grammatical correction as far as Colombia goes. I wasn't to terribly sure. Though I might inquire as to why you recommend against using backwater reptiles? And with that being said, are there any boa breeders that you do recommend?

[REM955]

Just look at the reviews. I just went on youtube to look at a few and it doesn't look terribly promising.

[eminart]

So when they say Boa c. constrictor For the Central american boa. They mean: Boa constrictor Constrictor? And that's the true red tail that tends to grow larger than the Boa c. imperator? Because I'm looking for a boa that grows to a decent size, and if the imperators are smaller then I think I might want to go with the Central American one though.

However, that was really insightful and I believe helped me out a good bit.


I think that's just a typo on the site. BCC's are from SOUTH America and generally cost a lot more than $45.

[dannybgoode]

Definitely a typo. CA boas are Boa imperators (formerly Boa constrictor imperators). True red tails Boa constrictor (formerly Boa constrictor constrictor) predominantly come from Suriname, Peru and Guyana.

As per eminarts post, price is a good indicator also. $45 is too cheap for a true red tail boa. If you are considering getting a remember the true red tall also grows considerably larger than the imperator, particularly females.

A good sized female imperator could top 8'+ with most reaching the 7' mark. A female constrictor on the other hand could top 13' with 9-10' or so not being uncommon.

Doesn't sound much but an extra couple of foot on a heavy bodied snake like a boa is definitely something to take into account when handling etc.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Central Americans are smallest of the small boas in the boa constrictor complex. They generally stay 3'-5', rarely exceeding 6'.

As danny mentioned, a couple of feet on a boa constrictor makes a huge difference. A 6' boa would be 8-10 lbs, and a boa over 8' or 9' could reach or exceed 30 lbs. They also look a lot bigger than they are, due to the sheer mass they have. Even a fit, lean boa will have a decent girth.

The size really is important, because unlike a thinner-bodied species like a retic, it really is advised to start having buddies with you when they reach 8'. They're docile, but very strong.