Guyana or Surinam?

[Ian]

OK all you boa people, what is the difference between Guyana and Surinam boas? They both seem to have deep red tails to me...
Also, what about Peruvian and Brazilian and such? What is the difference between them all? Different species, different colours...?
Thanks!

[borneoblood151]

Hey,
Location location location!!!! also, scale counts morphology and phenotype, would make them different.
-Angel

[KLG]

Actually, scale counts don't really differ between Guyana & Surinam animals - they're just locality types of the same subspecies & are often mislabeled. There are Guyanas that look like "Surinams," Surinams that look like N. Brazilians, Peruvians that look like Guyanas & so on & so forth. And even then, no one tells the animals within this subspecies not to cross the political boundaries we've drawn on our maps...and last I checked, boas can't read & don't know to stay put! ;)

Unless you have collection data or actually collect the animals yourself in their country of origin, there is no way to be 100% certain based on appearance.

That is why I feel many of the BCC available today should be called "Guyana type" or "Surinam type" even though there are various types in each locality. It's humans that put the parameters on what we think a Guyana or Surinam animal looks like - and a lot of that "type" is due to selective breeding, not always how the animals actually look coming out of the wild...people get it in their minds what one of these animals should look like to them & breed specifically for those traits. I know of a very popular line of Surinam boas that is heavily influenced by French Guiana animals, yet everyone calls them Surinams.


Just my $.02...being a former locality boa snob & all. ;)

K~

[Ian]

Thanks K!
What you typed reminded me a lot of the Chondro locality debate in the "comeple chondro" by Greg Maxwell...
Very interesting really. I am not a boa person really, but I must say they are great looking snakes!