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Hello, I am trying to get some scale counts for Rainbow boas. Specifically Brazilian and Colombian. I found mid-body counts on Peruvian and Brazilian, but so far I've come up short on any other specific counts, and nothing so far on the Colombians. Thanks to anyone that can help.

I used to know the answer to your question. I will count on one of mine and see if the range comes back to me.

>>Hello, I am trying to get some scale counts for Rainbow boas. Specifically Brazilian and Colombian. I found mid-body counts on Peruvian and Brazilian, but so far I've come up short on any other specific counts, and nothing so far on the Colombians. Thanks to anyone that can help.

Stupid question maybe, but when people talk about scale count, where is the count done from? Ie which specific part of the snake. Jeff if possible, could you post pics, showing how you do the count? Surely im not the only one wondering about this. Cheers dave
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Dave

2.2 Normal BRBs
2.1 Anery BRB
4.4 66% poss het anery BRB
2.5 66% poss het new european line hypo
1.1 het hypo BRB

In the mail from the states
1.1 something special BRB

aims to work out what all my 66% hets really are, and then go from there. Sky the limit, well maybe

Dave,
...Many snakes are identified by various different scale counts. Often the difference between two subspcies is determined by the numer of ventral scutes (tedious to count because it is several hundred in most snake species) or different numbers or arrangements of the head scales. For example Eastern Indigos are differentiated from Texas Indigos by the location of just one subocular scale that reaches the mouth line on one subspecies and not on the other. In some snakes including several of the Rainbow Boa subspecies the subspecific identification is based upon the number of scale rows at mid body. It is oftentimes easiest to make counts on shed skins because the scales on little snakes are so small and larger snakes can be difficult to restrain long enough to make counts. Making midbody scale counts I pick what looks like the approximate middle of the length of the snake and count going around in a spiral because the scales are arranged diagonally rather than side by side. After I get that first count I move several inches forward on the snake and count again and after that count move several inches aft of the first count and count again. The highest number is usually considered the best indicator of the midbody scale count.
...Many years ago I tried comparing the number of subcaudal scale rows on males versus females of three different subspecies of Rainbow Boas to see if that could be used to determine sex instead of probing or palpating. What I found after counting subcaudals on almost 100 Rainbow Boas was that as expected males numbered higher with their longer tails but there was just enough overlap in the data between males and females to make the method useless for accurate sexual identification.
Jeff

>>Stupid question maybe, but when people talk about scale count, where is the count done from? Ie which specific part of the snake. Jeff if possible, could you post pics, showing how you do the count? Surely im not the only one wondering about this. Cheers dave
>>-----
>>Dave
>>
>>2.2 Normal BRBs
>>2.1 Anery BRB
>>4.4 66% poss het anery BRB
>>2.5 66% poss het new european line hypo
>>1.1 het hypo BRB
>>
>>In the mail from the states
>>1.1 something special BRB
>>
>>aims to work out what all my 66% hets really are, and then go from there. Sky the limit, well maybe

I'm still coming up with nothing, so hopefully something will jog your memory. Thanks again.

I tried counting midbody scale rows on my Colombian Rainbows. Both of them are big adults and they would not hold still enough for me to make accurate counts. I think they both are in the low 40s. I thought there might be something on this in Jerry Wall's book "The Living Boas" but it had no numbers for maurus. I will try counting on my two again if they look like they will hold still.

>>I'm still coming up with nothing, so hopefully something will jog your memory. Thanks again.

Thanks for taking a look. I sent you an e-mail with a little more information. Mainly covering my reasons for this search.

A little off topic but Woodsracer, do you peddle or twist the throttle.My handle is very similar to yours ,so that is why I am asking? I'm a motorcycle woods rider! Well used to anyway!
Now zrx1200 wheelie nut!
Barry

Run D-17 the most, but also do some OMA/MXC races, GNCC(Crawfordsville, IN. round), and some enduros occassionally. What part of the country are you in? We practice/play ride in Astoria, Il. on weekends with no races. Don't have any street bikes, I'm much more comfortable around trees than cars. Occassionally I hit trees, but trees never really run into me. Drop me an e-mail, especially if you're in the area. Always cool to hook up with other riders!

Yes, I love woods riding also ,but have stopped due to the pain.Too much arm pump. I was riding my DRZ-400e in the woods then converted a Yzf-426 for woods riding"put a flywheel weight in it,bark busters etc;Funny thing is I actually dual sported both of them and my friends and I would do what we called enduros around North Texas.Kinda half gravel roads half asphalt. I might get back into it due to the fact that the streets around here are getting way too crowded.Anyway do a stoppie for me
Talk to ya later!