Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if anyone knew what function the iridescent scales of rainbow boas serves as a form of camouflage in the rainforest? I work at a wildlife sanctuary in a children's museum and my boss asked me that question and I honestly didn't know the answer. My best guess was that the scales mimic the way light is split through raindrops but like I said, that was just a guess.

Thanks!
Sarah

0.1 "Bubblegum" ratsnake: Aida
1.0 Central American Painted Wood Turtle: PhilBert
A zoo's worth of other critters at work

Honestly Sarah, I would think it would have more to do w/ absorbing heat/energy from the light. The iridescence is a result of small/microscopic ridges on the scales that act similar to a prism, bending the light. Simple physics will show that this effect will create heat (sort of like a magnifying glass frying ants (yeah.. I was a mean little kid) - or the green house effect when the sun shines through your car windows.. ) This reflection is most intense at wavelengths of natural sunlight (or artificial light at similar wavelengths).
While I am certainly a bit biased to the Epicrates.. they are not the only snake that have this iridescence.. in fact, it is found in other boas, pythons and colubrids and maybe in the other families as well.

The thing that makes it most curious to me is the fact that most of the species that have this "iridescence" are noctornal.. and typically are well hidden by the time the sun rises.. rarely coming out during the daytime.

I would certainly be interested in hearing what Jeff's opinion is on this though, I am sure he will chime in when he sees the post.

Do you have rainbows at the wildlife sanctuary?

>>I was wondering if anyone knew what function the iridescent scales of rainbow boas serves as a form of camouflage in the rainforest? I work at a wildlife sanctuary in a children's museum and my boss asked me that question and I honestly didn't know the answer. My best guess was that the scales mimic the way light is split through raindrops but like I said, that was just a guess.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>Sarah
>>
>>0.1 "Bubblegum" ratsnake: Aida
>>1.0 Central American Painted Wood Turtle: PhilBert
>>A zoo's worth of other critters at work
-----
photos.xtremecombatsports.com

We have a Brazilian RB at the santuary as well as 2 Common boas (I'm not sure what ssp. but they're different, and both also iridesce after they shed), 4 Ball pythons, 3 Black rat snakes (2 big normals, 1 baby white sided...their bellies all iridesce after they shed), 2 corn snakes (1 normal, 1 snow), 2 Kingsnakes (1 normal california, 1 banana-lavander), 1 western diamond back rattler, 1 Timber rattler, 1 canebrake rattler, 1 cottonmouth, 1 copperhead, 1 Nelsons milk, and 2 Northern water snakes.

I think that's the list of snakes. We have a bunch of different lizards (mainly geckos and bearded dragons), tarantulas, scorpion, mammals and a couple owls too. We just finished feeding the snakes today...always an adventure!

Wow Sarah.. certainly sounds like a fun place to work!!

>>We have a Brazilian RB at the santuary as well as 2 Common boas (I'm not sure what ssp. but they're different, and both also iridesce after they shed), 4 Ball pythons, 3 Black rat snakes (2 big normals, 1 baby white sided...their bellies all iridesce after they shed), 2 corn snakes (1 normal, 1 snow), 2 Kingsnakes (1 normal california, 1 banana-lavander), 1 western diamond back rattler, 1 Timber rattler, 1 canebrake rattler, 1 cottonmouth, 1 copperhead, 1 Nelsons milk, and 2 Northern water snakes.
>>
>>I think that's the list of snakes. We have a bunch of different lizards (mainly geckos and bearded dragons), tarantulas, scorpion, mammals and a couple owls too. We just finished feeding the snakes today...always an adventure!
-----
photos.xtremecombatsports.com

....I wonder if the prismatic effect we see with our eyes may be very different than how it is viewed by different animals. Consider how differently it would look to color blind animals which are fairly common. Animals with very primitive eyes may perhaps see that prismatic effect we see as a blur of indistinct shapes.
Jeff

>>I was wondering if anyone knew what function the iridescent scales of rainbow boas serves as a form of camouflage in the rainforest? I work at a wildlife sanctuary in a children's museum and my boss asked me that question and I honestly didn't know the answer. My best guess was that the scales mimic the way light is split through raindrops but like I said, that was just a guess.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>Sarah
>>
>>0.1 "Bubblegum" ratsnake: Aida
>>1.0 Central American Painted Wood Turtle: PhilBert
>>A zoo's worth of other critters at work

Wow. . thats a neat idea, so it may just blurr the immage or something instead of lighting it up.
-----
Russ
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)

Melbourne, Fl

Russ,
..Exactly my thought but who knows?
Jeff

>>Wow. . thats a neat idea, so it may just blurr the immage or something instead of lighting it up.
>>-----
>>Russ
>>1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
>>1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
>>1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
>>0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
>>0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)
>>
>>Melbourne, Fl

I remember reading that certain patterns in snakes cause a blurring effect to predators as the snake uses undulating movement during flight behavior. This mixed with the iridescent scales could very well cause what I think is termed "disruptive coloration". When the snake moves quickly, the pattern and colors of the snake actually create a blurred image to the predator, thus temporarily confusing the predator, and this gives the snake time to disappears into the environment as quickly as it was noticed.

See Link below, this is not where I read the information originally, I studied this subject in a few Herpetology Books by Pough, but the link does explain things a little more in detail then this post.

Disruptive coloration

-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

Thats a neat trick, one more fasinating thing about these animals, they never cease to amaze me
-----
Russ
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Apollo)
1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa (Odin)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (Ares)
0.1 Pastel Salmon Boa (Minerva)
0.1 Rosy Boa (Athena)

Melbourne, Fl

How do you get it to show Disruptive Coloration as a link and not the whole http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-25418/coloration???????? Teach me oh wise one lol
Bob

ok Bob, when replying to a post or making a new one... look below where it says link URL...put link there to page....then below that says link title, write whatever you want it to say there and when u post it whatever u wrote will be there and when pressed will go to the web location you put in the link URL slot.
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

LOL, never noticed that, I always hardcoded it like this:

with spaces so it won't work:

[u rl=www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com]Daves Website[/u rl]

and again with spaces removed:

Daves Website

Good to know so I can code my greeting with links to my website.
And with a little creative nesting, my website logo is also linked to the URL.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

that it could be done the way you explained, so I am a little more kingsnake.com savy.
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

>>LOL, never noticed that, I always hardcoded it like this:
>>
>>with spaces so it won't work:
>>
>>[u rl=www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com]Daves Website[/u rl]
>>
>>and again with spaces removed:
>>
>>Daves Website
>>
>>Good to know so I can code my greeting with links to my website.
>>And with a little creative nesting, my website logo is also linked to the URL.
>>-----
>>Thanks,
>>
>>
>>Dave Colling
>>
>>www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com
>>
>>
>>
>>0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
>>0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)
>>
>>LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
>>21.29 BRB
>>19.19 BCI
>>And those are only the breeders
>>
>>lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Thanks, that's really cool. I hadn't really thought about that, but it makes sense, especially with the animals being nocturnal. Predators eyes would be more developed to use minute amounts of light rather than using color distinction.

Great!!
~Sarah