Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...of the various ssp. of boa around, which one would be considered the "rarest" form, or least worked with and why? Not thinking of this in terms of investment but just an overall curiousity as to what people think...

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Cheers
Lateralis
"I would rather be precisely wrong than approximately right"
Marion "Doc" Ford

Investment I would say Marron or Aztec. The Aztec is dom and I
think the Marron is s well (or at least visual hets). Just both
awesome morphs that most of the community would give their right
arm to have one or the other. Hope this helps!

may not be the rarest, but I have not seen one for sale in decades. They are rare and endangered (I think) and a few where legally taken back in the day. I hear they are kinda defensive as well, but most wild caught snake species are due to survival mechanisms. People are mean, snakes are not.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

Of the types that we have had in the US at one time or another, Frank is right. I don't think any have been brought into the country since 1990 and I don't believe any have been produced since 1991. I believe both Terry Vandeventer and Terry Wilkins produced them that year from wild caught adults. I don't believe anyone ever did it again after that. If any of those animals are still around they would be 18 years old this year. Bob Sears also bred and produced these in the 1980's.

Orophius are very rare too. I think there may be a few of them around. Bob Sears also produced these back in the 1980's. Terry Wilkins produced some too and I believe several others have as well.

There are also many little Islands that hold their own insular forms of Boa Constrictors that nobody has ever collected, and hopefully never will.

Man! Am I getting old!
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

LOL....I felt the same when I wrote, "I haven't seen one for sale in decades"........but I am still young darn it!!! I am 39 but have keep keeping snakes since childhood. When I was a little whippersnapper my mom said she had to strip me naked at the front door because I always had frogs and snakes in my pockets....don't recall this....but you know your a herper when you need to be strip searched at the front door before being allowed access to the house LOL!!

Last time I remember The Dominican Clouded Boa available was in the late 80's on TC green price list for Herpetofauna. May have been early 90's....memory lapses at 39....sighs....
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

Jeff, I believe Crawl Cay Boas are the RAREST Boa anywhere albiet they are NOT a "recognized subspecies". The entire area they're found in are several hundred square YARDS. ....
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

Those plus there are likely a few other tiny islands that have their own little populations of them as well. That's what I was refering to when I wrote,

"There are also many little Islands that hold their own insular forms of Boa Constrictors that nobody has ever collected, and hopefully never will."

Back in the 80's Bob Sears flew down there and picked and whatever he wanted pretty much. Lots of stuff nobody else had ever seen. The original Crawl Kay Boas were brought back by Bob. He bred them, produced babies. Bob gave his entire collection to the charge of Tim Mead just before Bob died after a long bought with Cancer. After a year or so, Tim sold all the animals that Bob had entrusted him with. That infuriated me.
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Rare and rare in captivity can be two completely different things. It also depends on the definition of boa. Rare can be a pretty subjective word.

The rarest boa in the world is Corallus cropanii. Almost mythical.

Round Island boas. There are two types of Round Island boa. Casarea dussumieri has only been produced in captivity a few times in 30 years at Durrell institute. The burrowing species Bolyeria multocarinata is probably extinct. These animals are rare because of the usual reasons , small range , habitat loss.

Often species considered rare by collectors are really pretty common. There are many types of boas that are only rare in captivity because of the political red tape involved with getting them . Clouded boas are a good example they come from a small island but their VERY common. When they had the chance collectors didn't want them . A lot of island stuff is like that. Locally common but because of whatever it becomes more trouble then it's worth to deal with So........

Trachyboas are scarce in captivity. For couple reasons. I think it's mostly because the country's of origin don't do much in live trade. I always like them but could never get two at one time. They play dead. Keeled scales Eat frogs , gold fish .

Exiliboa placata, The Oaxaca dwarf boa has a very small distribution range . I don't know if there's any in captivity. I've never seen a live one.

I'm sure theres some others that might or not be rare that I'm forgetting .

Ernie Eison
WESTWOOD ACRES REPTILE FARM INC.

B. C. sigma island Tres Marias boa is only known from 9 animals and currently there are no authentic specimens in captivity. The name sigma might not be valid I don't know. Supposedly they do differ from mainland animals in terms of scale count.

True sabogae boas that is animals that truly originate from the islands might not exist in the wild any longer. Animals of similar appearance are imported from mainland Panama but as far as true island locale animals these are probably the rarest boa constrictor ssp in the wild. Maybe the rarest Boa constrictor in nature period. My friend Robert collected a total of five animals in several trips , he had permits to collect 6 from the islands . Only two of the original 5 are still alive.

It still go's back to what is the definition of rare ? Some animals are rare in nature but bred often enough that you can buy them online ..are they rare ? How about species like clouded boas very common in a restricted range but " rare " in captivity . To me rare is the total number of known animals combined captive and wild.

Ernie Eison
WESTWOOD ACRES REPTILE FARM INC.