Emerald Tree Boa
by Lisa Wooten
Title
Emerald Tree Boa
Artist
Lisa Wooten
Medium
Photograph - Photographs
Description
Featured: Nature Landscapes Landmarks and Wildlife 6/11/2019
Featured: Lady Photographers and Artists 4/19/2019
Corallus caninus, commonly called the emerald tree boa,[3] is a non-venomous boa species found in the rainforests of South America. Since 2009 the species Corallus batesii has been distinguished from C. caninus.
Adults grow to about 6 feet (1.8 m) in length. They have highly developed front teeth that are likely proportionately larger than those of any other non-venomous snake.[5]
The color pattern typically consists of an emerald green ground color with a white irregular interrupted zigzag stripe or so-called 'lightning bolts' down the back and a yellow belly. The bright coloration and markings are very distinctive among South American snakes. Juveniles vary in color between various shades of light and dark orange or brick-red before ontogenetic coloration sets in and the animals turn emerald green (after 9–12 months of age).[6] This also occurs in green tree python (Morelia viridis), a python species in which hatchlings and juveniles may also be canary yellow or brick-red. As opposed to popular belief, yellow juveniles (as in the green tree python) do not occur in the emerald tree boa.
Some herpetologists have considered whether they should be classified as a new species based on locality. The name recently suggested for this morphological variant, is Corallus batesii [Henderson]. Specimens from the Amazon River basin tend to grow the largest, are much more docile than their Northern relatives and attain lengths of 7–9 feet (2.1–2.7 m), while the overall average size is closer to 6 feet (1.8 m). Those from the southern end of their range in Peru tend to be darker in color. Amazon Basin specimens generally have an uninterrupted white dorsal line, whereas the white markings in specimens from Guyana and Surinam (known as "Guyana Shield" or "Northern" emerald tree boas) are quite variable.[7] The snout scales in Amazon Basin specimens are also much smaller than in their Northern, Southern and Western counterparts found, for example, in Surinam, Venezuela, Bolivia, and French Guiana. Hybrid forms between the Northern Shield Corallus caninus and the Amazon Basin form are also known to exist.
C. caninus appears very similar to the green tree python (Morelia viridis) from southeast Asia and Australia. Only very distantly related, this is an example of convergent evolution. Physical differences include the head scalation and the location of the heat pits around the mouth. Wikipedia
Uploaded
March 13th, 2019
Statistics
Viewed 4,572 Times - Last Visitor from Romeo, MI on 04/13/2024 at 1:15 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet