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 The
Peruvian Long tail Boa
Boa constrictor
longicauda (Price & Russo
1991)
Our
good friend Vincent
Russo of Cutting
Edge Herpetological
has this to say:
The South American Country
of Peru lies South of
Ecuador and Colombia,
North of Chile and West
of Brazil and Bolivia.
The Andes Mountains
divide Peru into three
regions. The first is
called the Costa or
Desert Coast. The Costa
region is a narrow coastal
plain consisting of
large tracts of desert
broken by fertile oases
and valleys. Second
is the Sierra consisting
of High Plateaus and
Mountain Ridges that
extend past the snow
line. And third is the
Selva region of tropical
forests of the Amazon
Basin. Three subspecies
of Boa constrictor are
indigenous to Peru.
Boa c. constrictor has
its range
in the Selva
region of
the Amazon
Basin on
the East
side of the
Andes Mountains
from the
borders of
Ecuador & Colombia
south to
Brazil. Boa
c. ortonii has a
geographic range on
the West side of the
Andes from Perico and
the upper Maranon Valley
to Piura and south to
Libertad, in the arid
Costa region of Northwest
Peru. And finally we
have Boa c. longicauda which
comes from
the Costa
region in
the extreme
north west
part of the
country.
It range
is limited
to Tumbes
Peru and
north into
Ecuador in
the states
of Guayas & Manabi.
The boas
from Tumbes,
Peru are
very unique
and that
was one of
the reasons
why they
were described
as a new
subspecies
in 1991 by
Price & Russo
and recognized as a
valid subspecies. The
topography of Tumbes
is also unique. Its
Coast line is filled
with Mangrove swamps
while the Mountains
above it may be arid
& dry
at certain
times of
year. Since
Tumbes is
south of
the Equator,
its summer
starts in
Dec. Its
rainy season
is from February
to May and
remains dry
with almost
desert like
conditions
from June
to November.
Many trees
drop their
leaves during
the dry season
and the landscape
almost looks
like a temperate
forest. It
also gets
quite cold
in this region
with temps
during the
dry season
as low as
55 degrees
F.
The first group Boa
c. longicauda entered
the U.S.
in 1988.
It was a
shipment
of a dozen
4 to 5 foot
long adults
of which
each ranged
from dark
brown with
gray heads
to black
boas with
blue heads.
Some were
completely
Jet Black
with an iridescence
that covered
their black
shiny scales.
They had
19 – 21
dorsal saddles
from snout
to vent.
The saddles
were block
like and
some had
connected
saddles and
some did
not. Their
tails were
Black with
cream-colored
dashes in
them. The
sides were
a steel gray
to blue and
they were
in my opinion
one of the
most unique
creatures
I had ever
seen. One
more interesting
fact, every
boa in this
shipment
from Tumbes
had huge
scars on
them. We
assumed they
were from
rats or some
kind of native
rodent because
every one
of those
wild caught
boas ate
domestic
rats with
gusto. From
that point
in time forward
only a few
more shipments
of these
rare boas
arrived in
the hands
of U.S. collectors.
It is from
these starter
seed animals
that all
Captive Born Boa c. longicauda derive
today. These
unique boas
are highly
variable
and no two
look exactly
alike. Today
they are
selectively
bred to bring
out the hidden
yellows and
greens that
have appeared
now over
generations.
As babies
they lack
all of the
blues, black,
cream & yellow
features
of the adults.
As a matter
of fact they
are quite
drab. Baby Boa c. longicauda
take at least 3 years
to metamorphose into
the beautiful butterflies
that they become. They
max out at 6 or 7 feet
in length. They take
to captivity with no
problems and can tolerate
dry conditions and cool
temperatures.
The longtail
boa is probably
one of the
most rare
localities
of boa in
captivity
due to the
fact that
Ecuador and
Peru have
had a long
time border
dispute over
the Tumbes
area. It
is very dangerous
to travel
to this part
of the world
and therefore
research
is impossible.
Secondly
since this
area is under
dispute – it
is impossible
to get permits
to collect
in this area
from the
local government.
I also have
heard Peruvian
herpetologists
claim that
the Longtail
boa is quite
rare in its
natural habitat.
This is due
to human
encroachment. Therefore the
fate of Boa c. longicauda is
in the hands
of responsible
breeders
of Boa.
Boa
constrictor
longicauda,
produced
at Rio
Bravo Reptiles at
age one
year. Some
longtail
boas are
nearly
anerythristic,
others
are yellow
or golden
or brownish.
The black
pigment
in longicauda is
ontogenetic
or develops
as the
animals
age. Closely
related longicauda pairs
will produce
offspring
which are
relatively
polymorphic
in color
and pattern
compared
to litters
of other
subspecies
and localities.
This phenomenon
may be
unique
among the Boa.
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