Is a "Red-Tailed" Boa Contrictor Really a "Red-Tailed" Boa?

The Boa constrictor ranges in distribution from Southern Mexico, to the Lesser Antilles. In the wild they occupy open forests near water and are at home in both trees and on the ground, making this species semi-arboreal in nature. There are currently eight recognized subspecies of boa constrictors, but there is only one true "Red-Tailed" boa, and that is Boa constrictor ortoni. Much of the confusion related to the label "Red-Tailed", stems from the fact that for many years importers of this species would label less valuable sub-species as "red-tailed boas" in order to sell the lesser valuable snakes at a higher price to the pet industry.

There are three boa constrictors that are from the sub-species Boa c. imperator. They are the Colombian boa, Mexican boa, and the Central American boa. The sub-species most commonly linked to the popular "red-tail" of the pet trade is the Colombian boa. Snakes from the species Boa c. constrictor include the Brazilian red-tailed boa, Guyanan red-tailed boa, Hogg island boa, Surinam red-tailed boa, and the True Colombian red-tailed boa from the Amazon basin and llanos of Colombia. Other sub-species include Amaral's boa or Short-tailed boa (Boa c. amarali), Clouded boa (Boa c. nebulosus), Orton's boa or Peruvian boa (Boa c. ortonii), Argentine boa (Boa c. occidentalis), Sabogo Island boa (Boa c. sabogae) and the St. Lucia boa (Boa c. orophias).

With so many distinct geographic points of origin for each species many owners find themselves asking why it is so difficult to determine the proper true name for the species that they own. One of the contributing factors to all of the confusion surrounding this species name is the fact that most of the imported snakes travel through many different South American countries before they enter the North American and European pet trade, making it difficult to definitely determine the true country of origin. A new contributing factor to the confusion is that for several years now many boa constrictors from different geographic regions have been inter-bred in captivity as a direct result of the overall confusion surrounding the name of this species, which has led to a truly "common captive boa constrictor". Even with all the confusion and interbreeding the fact remains that the Colombian Boa constrictor (Boa c. imperator), and NOT the True Colombian Boa constrictor (Boa c. constrictor), is the most commonly kept sub-species in both Europe and the United States.

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