Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know if its possible to cross breed a rainbow with an Argentine

Travis,
...The Argentine Boa is Boa constrictor occidentalis. Boa is the genus name, constrictor is the species name and occidentalis is the subspecific name. There are five different species of Rainbow Boas. They are all in the genus Epicrates. An old definition of species, at least the definition I learned when I was in school is that species describes a group of organisms which can potentially breed and produce sexually viable offspring. As an example, horses and donkeys are different species and when crossed (male horse to female donkey) they produce a mule which is not sexually viable. We have learned more recently that cross specific and even cross generic breedings in reptiles are possible and that in some cases the offspring are sexually viable. There are occasionally snakes available for sale that seem to be crosses between Boa species and Epicrates species. Some of these may be from breedings in the wild and some may be from captive breeding. So the answer to your question is probaly yes. It is probably possible that an Argentine Boa could cross breed with one of the Rainbow Boa species. On a practical level it would be extremely difficult for someone to start out with the goal of cross breeding one of the Boa species with one of the Epicrates species. Do you plan to try to cross breed an Argentine Boa with a Rainbow Boa or have you seen a snake that looks like it may be a cross?
Respectfully,
Jeff