it is helpful to those looking for pure hog islands to go with snakes that can be traced back to verifiable imported "lines", since there are persons mixing hogs with other boas. i think like you that naming snake lines is probably more applicable when someone is working over time to "refine" a particular species and truly has a unique distinguishable animal. just because someone produces babies that doesnt mean they get to name a line after them, if Bozo the clown bought hogs personally from Bob Sears or Lloyd Lemke and produced a litter they shouldnt be called "Bozo line hogs" even if Bozo is a known name (my apologies to you Bozo). i think the Sears,Lemke,and Betty lines are accepted as lines that can be traced back to stock imported from cayos cochinos. there are probably more out there as a reported 5000 came from the islands in the early 80's. also in the 90's snakes that looked like Hogs came in from nicaragua that were simply called "white boas" (rob macinnes,glades herp as reported in louis porras' article "island boa constrictors" reptiles magazine dec,1999 pg 54). these were probably from cayos cochinos, as i was told by another importer that in central america the animal dealers dont get involved in "localities" and simply sell "white" boas or "black" boas. many boas are brought to countries where they can be legally exported. hog island boas are not extinct on cayos cochinos as has been reported in magazine articles and here on this forum. there is a research team doing a 5 yr survey on cayos cochinos that i believe was averaging 1 boa capture a nite in 2004 (OPWALL project). the other problem with Hogs is that these are variable snakes and even each indidvidual snake can lighten and darken to a point you might think someone slipped a different snake into your cage. for example look at the two pictured snakes, if your answer is that they are from the same lines and siblings you are correct! thanks, john yocum

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