I have been working on a theory, that boas with higher mid dorsal scale counts turn out to be big boas.... the theory is a snake needs a certain girth to achieve a certain length..



Boas are born with all the scales they will ever get, so this info would be benificial in the long run when buying or breeding boas for certain size. You could do a scale count on one of the first few sheds on a baby and determine the size potential of the boa as an adult.



If you have any mid dorsal (body) scale counts on full grown adults please post them. Here is how to do one



Take a fresh shed skin, unroll it. Count the saddles head to vent and find the center saddle. I usualy cut out an oversized peice and cut down the middle of the belly scales so I can open it up. Find the center scale (middle of the back, and count down the row untill you get to the belly scale. A felt tiped marker will help you keep your place. Now you can multiply that number by 2 or count the other side.



Here are a few pics to help you get the idea of how it's done.



this females count is 88 she is a big thing at 9.5 feet. another female I had was 10 ft and had a count of 95.. and my biggest Suriname girl is 10.5 ft and has a count of 102





This seems to work to find for dwarf boas too, smaller counts equal smaller boas. I think folks looking for a managable sized boa may benifit from this info also.
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Ed Lilley, www.constrictorsnw.com

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