Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was searching the forums a bit and since i am at college and do not have means of getting my snake probed just yet i was wondering if it was possible to sex it by the spurs. the snake is a BCI and is six feet long. i found a picture of an anaconda spur and the post said that the male spurs would be more of an apendage and would be curved more. i took a picture of my BCIs spur and i was wondering if anyone could give their opinion on its sex. if a better picture is needed please let me know what angle to try to get it at. thanks for any help you can give.
oh and by the way the spurs seem to be recessed in a bit and not protruding like an appendage. once again thanks for any help you can give

Roll your thumb down the center of his tail (underside), from the cloaca to the tip. Press gently , if it's a male you will feel two lumps pass under your fingers 1/3 way down from the cloaca. Judging by the thickness and shape of his tail , I would guess it's a male ... spurs are not always gonna tell you the truth. If you are unsure , find a known male and female and try the same test.. the difference between the two is pretty obvious.

Good Luck

Boa constrictors are one of the few boids that, with a little practice, can be readily sexed with 100% accuracy by spur morphology alone. With extended practice, and under a 10X scope or loupe, even newborns can be sexed with precision. The photo you posted shows the typical male spur, usually completely external, with a compressed cross-section and slight curve out toward the tip. Similar in appearance to a short cat claw, flat and slightly depressed against the side of the males body. Some, but not all male B.c. spurs show the appendage structure you spoke of, but that is more common with male Eunectes, and even then it does not protrude from the body. The male Eunectes appendage still lays flat along the side of the body. The female B.c. spur is straighter, has a more round cross-section, and is partially or sometimes entirely recessed within a cavity below the surface of the scales surrounding it. It requires the surrounding scales to be parted away from it to observe the entire spur structure down to its attachment with the skin. The female spur has the appearance of a short, broad-based spike. Good luck and hope this helped some.

Kelly

wow .. that helped alot .. i really appreciate it. so now i know i have a male and the next will be sure to be a female. thanks again for the detailed explanation.

it may be a male. But you can easily rub your thumb along the bottom side of the tail starting from the vent working your way down to aboout mid tail, if it is a male you will feel the hemipens moving, like two bumps rolling asside. you may have to stroke the tail several times but when you feel it you will know its a male, also if the tail has a bulged base and somewhat of a long tail, that may be another indication.

Hope that helps.
nick