Many people believe that hog island boas are hypos just in the sence of color not like a "co-dominant" morph type hypo.. I think that the hogs are hypos in the morph sence and work similar to the classic hypo gene you see around.

Here is why..

Hogs are obviously hypo looking. They don't look like a salmon or hypo in the classic sence but either does a hypo nic or a hypo sonoran. Actualy a hypo sonoran is almost identicle color wise to a hog. Just a different pattern due to their own evolution and locality.

Have you seen a cross? Not a hypo x hog cross but just one of the accidental type breedings. There are usualy at least half a litter that are hypo looking to a point.

hypo X hogs, they are quite nice looking. I have seen the litters that are produced with boas that should be "co-dominant" and they are getting 75% of the litters showing as hypos. This is the same ratio that an F1 hypo to F1 hypo breeding should get. Some of those hypo hogs that are sold are probably supers.

A friend of mine just produced the very first litter of 75% hog hypos.. They are very nice looking but lack reduced saddles like your classic 50% hypo hog. I am geussing this is due to the hog blood and their saddles being of a color other than black so there is nothing to reduce.

Sunsets, these have extremly reduced patterns because they are a 50/50 cross. The dominance in the classic hypo type reduces the black pigment that the boa would have in it's saddles from the colombian blood, and leaves only bits of hog color along with hypo color.

Central american hypo locality boas are not as "clean" as both types of classic hypo ( salmons and Gee line) many think this will change with selective breeding. But have you knoticed the closer you get to Colombia the better ( more like a classic hypo) the locality hypo's get? Look at a Sonoran, then Nicuraguan, and then a Panamainian Hypo.

I think all of these locality boas hypomelanisim works the same way to a point. Of course they all have their own local genes to add to the mix, but the actual hypo genes work the same way in my opinion. Hypo being a dominant trait has taken over many island populations with Cayos De los Cochinos being one of them. It also seems that the hypo population of each island can be dated by the amount of hypo to non hypo boas that are on it. It seems in these bottlenecked and isolated eco systems hypos take over, maybe that a is like window into the distant future of the mainland populations of boas..

Any thoughts to add to this?
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Ed Lilley, www.constrictorsnw.com

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