....actually I am going to repost something that I wrote in December of 2003. I believe much of it is still pertinent to your question. I can also add that I have now seen a Jungle litter in front of my own eyes and I agree with the observations of others that even if you ignore aberrancies you can still pick them out based on color. My entire litter from Friday night was hypo but the babies carrying the Jungle trait are much cleaner, brighter, with more contrast, and better color. It is amazing how much better they look than their parents.

Here is the original post from 12/03:

I normally just “lurk” here. I know it’s bad but I if I post something, I feel obligated to see the thread to its end and reply to all the replies. I frequently feel compelled to post something but I don’t because I’m too busy to do my part and keep up with the thread. However, the thread(s) about the Jungles was just too interesting & enticing. I hope that I have something to add.

I own two animals from the same “Junglish” litter as Shawn Morelan who started this entire thread. I also own two other animals from separate litters produced by the same breeding colony. Additionally, I own 4.1 Jungle boas that can be traced to the animals that Pete Kahl acquired from Lars Brandle of Sweden. I bought the “Junglish” boas because I thought they were beautiful boas in their own right and I was curious that they seemed to share some of the traits or indicators possessed by Jungle boas. On a further note, I am also fortunate to own 2.0 Harlequin boas which also share some visible traits with Jungle boas.

It would be nice if all the genetic mutations were as clean cut as the Motley, albino, etc. It certainly makes it easy to inspect an animal and have immediate confidence in its authenticity. However, the variability of the Jungle trait was probably the strongest lure in getting me excited and involved in Jungle projects. When I breed one of my Jungle males to a normal female, I will get approximately 50% normals (and I dislike calling beautiful animals “normals”) and the other 50% will be like a 6 year old child coming down the stairs on Christmas morning. The child feels an overwhelming anticipation. There will be lots of surprises and generally they will all be good surprises. A Jungle litter will also produce a variety of wonderful surprises as you look over the animals and wonder at all the different expressions of the mutation presented by your animals. Of course that leads to what much of the thread was about. What can you expect?

First, I will say that I am no expert on Jungles. I have never produced my own litter of Jungles nor have I ever owned an adult Jungle. My oldest Jungle is a 16 month old female. I have seen hundreds of photos of Jungles. In general, the mutation expresses itself in widely variable pattern anomalies as well as general color enhancement. In talking to hobbyists that have produced Jungles, they say that by color alone, you can easily pick out the Jungle babies in a litter. I hope to have this experience in the future. If I was handed a boa and asked to inspect it and decide if it had the Jungle mutation, here is a list of what I would be looking for:

1. Squared off dorsal saddles that lack dorso-lateral points. These “points” are the triangles of darkly pigmented scales that fall on the ridgeline of the animal and are supposed to (but don’t always) match up with the dorsal saddle on top. Frequently, these squared off saddles have hollow circles of base color in the middle of the saddle. Sometimes they remind me of a reversed Japanese flag – a dark pigmented rectangle with a light colored circle. In some cases, only one saddle will show this characteristic on the whole animal. Other times, there will be a segment of saddles that show this indicator and then the remaining saddles will appear normal. Additionally, you may find a saddle that is “cut” on one side but has a point on the other! Each Jungle is unique and I find that fascinating.
2. Fused saddles in the upper or mid-body. I have to believe that this trait was the one that earned the name “Jungle”. These fused saddles will appear “jigsaw” and “zigzag” and in their most radical expression appear as a stripe. The best examples will have very clean edges and contrast well with the base color. A very unusual, striking, and beautiful appearance. In my opinion, this separates the best Jungles from more average examples.
3. Tail striping. Frequently, the tail saddles will fuse into elongated blocks or stripes. Sometimes the stripes will continue up through the body. Many times the stripe will end abruptly with a very squared off appearance. The edges of the tail stripes frequently have a distinct border that really sets off the tail coloration from the base color. I am told that the color of the tail saddles in the Jungles is more brilliant than that of their normal siblings.
4. I am also told that Jungles will exhibit more yellow pigmentation than their normal counterparts. There are probably other things that I would notice if I had the benefit of comparing a group of Jungle boas to their normal siblings as they mature from babies to adults.

This is my list. I would enjoy constructive debate that would allow me to add (or subtract) from my list.

If you were to put my five Jungles on the floor and gaze at them, you would be awestruck at two things: their collective beauty but also their unique differences. It was pointed out in the thread that this variability is a downfall of the mutation because it means that it is hard to identify but I see it as the strength of the mutation. It is true that non-Jungle boas will produce visible traits that remind you of a Jungle. There have certainly been non-Jungle boas sold as Jungle for financial gain. I expect that this problem will get worse. The scenario proposed by Paul whereby a hobbyist who owns one Jungle but produces abberant litters from a non-Jungle is a real possibility. But to me this just emphasizes what I already believe – if you are going to purchase a valuable animal you should only do so from someone who has earned your trust. Anything else is risky. I do have these “Junglish” boas and I have proven Jungles. I suspect that I will experiment to see what the “Junglish” boas are all about. When and if I offer offspring for sale, I expect to provide complete lineage and photos for the animals involved. I also have a young female (“Corina”) that is very aberrant and certainly inspires thoughts of “Jungle”. Since I know nothing about her parents, I make no claims that she is Jungle, but I hope to raise her and find out the nature of her abberancies.

If you are really interested, I have photo galleries of 5 Jungle boas, 4 “Junglish” boas, and 2 Harlequins. Evaluate them with your own eyes and see what you think. Take a closer look at the Harlequin photos posted frequently by Brendan and Tim Magee. Hopefully, you won’t look at is as endless confusion, but rather, ENDLESS possibilities for working with these animals and studying these beautiful characteristics.

Another aspect that I must comment on is that Jungles that are mostly normal looking have been proven capable of producing a whole range of Jungle “looks” including extremely aberrant examples. My three most Jungle looking Jungles were produced from fathers who showed very little abberancy. Again, I find it interesting that the mutation can be expressed so variably from generation to generation. However, the ultimate expression (at least so far) is the Super Jungle. I feel confident that the hobby is going to become much more interested when the next generation of Super Jungles are born. I also have great anticipation for the first Salmon Super Jungle and I feel certain that the first Super Salmon Super Jungle will cause the average boa lover to soil their pants.

I really think these projects could keep me interested and busy for the next 25 years and that may well be a reasonable expectation for the time I have left to enjoy this hobby. If you read this far, congratulations and thank you. Now you know why I shouldn’t post very often. My students already know that I am long-winded. gray

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