Clouded boas are very slender, proficient climbers and spend lots of their time in trees in the wild, even as adults. Females average up to 10’ (3m) long, although individuals with genetics from the southern region of the island top out at 8′ while those from the northern region can grow to 10′ or longer. Its pattern also displays more saddle patches than any other subspecies. This boa subspecies is characterized by a gray-brown coloration and a gray spotted belly, with subtle patterning that gives rise to its common name, the Clouded Boa. It also features a variety of microhabitats which can swing widely from 90☏ in one area to 75☏ just 20′ away. It is an extremely wet and muddy environment that receives daily rainfall. nebulosa is native to the island Dominica in the Lesser Antilles, a mountainous island that boasts over 360 rivers.

For this reason, it is difficult to describe a specific color or pattern that describes B. imperator is the subspecies most commonly available in the US, particularly because it is the most popular for use in breeding for ”morphs” - unique variations in color and/or pattern than deviate from the wild type.

Paraguayan Peninsula (Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Venezuela)ī.

Mexico (Tarahumara Mountains, Sonoran, Tamaulipas, Cancun).

It has been documented in the following countries: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. This species can be found west of the South American Andes, throughout Central America and in parts of Mexico. Certain localities top out at 3-5’ due to a locale-specific dwarf gene. However they are reasonably hardy, don’t get sick easily, have a ready feeding response, and possess a slender build between 5-7’ (1.5-2.1m) long on average. I disagree, simply because they are larger than most “easy” snakes, making them slightly more difficult to handle and much more difficult to house, requiring an enclosure that is both tall and wide. Some sources argue that it is one of the best beginner snakes a reptile enthusiast can have. The Central American Boa tends to be the most docile of the Boa genus, and is the most common species available in the pet trade. (You can refer to this CABI datasheet for details.) Widespread acceptance is still pending, but several publications have acknowledged the new name since the original research was published in 2009. imperator used to be classified as a subspecies of Boa constrictor until DNA sequencing identified imperator as a distinct genetic lineage with 5-7% sequence divergence from constrictor. constrictor.īoa imperator (Central American Boa/Common Boa)ī. melanogaster was recently reclassified as B. Specimens have been documented in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. constrictor is native to South America east of the Andes Mountains, particularly in the Amazon rainforest. constrictor average between 7-10’ (2.1-3.0m) - especially when allowed to grow slowly (read: naturally) rather than power-fed.ī.

They have the potential to get up to 12’ (3.7m) long, but this is rare most B. Some localities also have a brown or dark brown tail instead of the namesake red, and they experience a color change as they age: from grayish babies to yellow and brown tones developing later.

They typically have bat-shaped saddle patches with dark spots in between, although the Suriname locality has more of an hourglass shape to its pattern. constrictor is what most people think of when they hear the name: big, thick, and bright red patterning on the tail - although they tend to be much more docile than most assume. Boa constrictor constrictor (“True” Red-Tailed Boa)ī.

Boa constrictor pictures