Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been trying to do some basic research on boas and I've come up with a quick, hopefully easy answered question. I've noticed that the common names used at pet stores (boa, red tail boa, common boa, etc...) are often used interchangabally to describe both the boa c. constrictor and the boa c. imperator. From what I can tell, the two species of snakes are so similar that I can't figure out their unique differences. So, my question is....is there a sure-fire way to tell if a snake is a boa c. imperator or a boa c. constrictor by looking at it?

Look at a picture of a columbian, then look at a suri. You should be able to see the differences. BCC has a longer head, cherry red tail, most have widows peaks and they are lighter in color.

In most pet stores you are going to see normal coumbians. There are obviously going to be exceptions to that.