Boa constrictor amarali
The short tail boa has a fairly small range in Southern Brazil, Southeast Bolivia and a small portion of extreme Northern Paraguay. They represent the second most Southen population of boa constrictor. Further South is the Argentine Boa, B. c. Occidentalis. To their North and sharing the Northern part of their range is the true red tail, B. c. constrictor.
These boa are not dwarf or mid-dwarf boa in most cases. Females are known to reach and even occasionally exceed 6 feet. They are also chunky, thick boa. Mine are growing very fast. They are not typically very colorful boa except in the northern part of their range where we find what are likely naturally occuring intergrades with B. c. constrictor. Those intergrade boa often present with soft pastel tones and nice widows peaks. Some of the most perfectly symmetrical dorsal patterns not produced by selective breeding in captivity are to be found are on those naturally occuring intergrade boa. There are also supposed Bolivian Boa in the hobby whom are man made intergrades. Distinguishing between the two and also being able to ascertain with any certainty the true origins of such boa has proven difficult for me in the past and I ended up selling boa that weren’t what I thought they were. I was very glad to get these boa from my friends Orlando and Joel Diaz at Legacy Reptiles. They have done well producing these boa that many have found difficult to establish, let alone breed.
These boa presented here are direct descendants form Hanns Winner’s line of B. c. amarali. Known as the “Danish bloodline” these boa were once regarded as quite delicate. However my experience and that of others has been very positive with these boa. Perhaps this line is becoming more hardy with each successive generation. Regurgitation and wasting were supposedly common with early generations of these boa.
These boa have some of the shortest tails I have seen on B. c. amarali. They darken as they grow, possibly an adaptation to their more southern distribution in a coole climate. Intricate head and body markings are common. Watching them mature is turning into a real treat. Speckles, dashes and other secondary markings cover the boa and get more pronounced as they grow. They are just a bit touchy as youngsters and will even hiss while posturing aggressively. However mine are still young and are already calming down.
Sexual dimorphism expresses itself early on in the size of the boa as they grow. Females quickly outgrow males on an identical husbandry routine. Care must be taken to not let these boa become obese. They will seemingly eat all you will feed them and they get chunky fast.
I will update this page as they grow. Here are some pictures of youngsters:
It’s time for some updated pictures of these boa. There are no real drastic changes but they have darkened as expected as they ripen toward their adult coloration.