Emerald tree boa

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Emerald tree boa
Emerald Tree Boa Head.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Genus: Corallus
Species:
C. caninus
Binomial name
Corallus caninus
Synonyms

The emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) [3] is a boa species found in the rainforests of South America. Since 2009 the species Corallus batesii has been distinguished from the emerald tree boa. [4] Like all other boas, it is nonvenomous. Trade of the species is controlled internationally under CITES Appendix II. [5]

Contents

Description

At the Philadelphia Zoo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Emerald Tree Boa Wrapped on a Branch 2480px.jpg
At the Philadelphia Zoo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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. [6]

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). [7] 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. [8] The snout scales in Amazon Basin specimens are also much smaller than in their Northern, Southern and Western counterparts found, for example, in Suriname, Venezuela, Bolivia, and French Guiana. Hybrid forms between the Northern Shield Corallus caninus and the Amazon Basin form are also known to exist.

The emerald tree boa appears very similar to the southern green tree python (Morelia viridis) from southeast Asia and Australia. This is an example of convergent evolution: the species are only very distantly related. Physical differences include the head scalation and the location of the heat pits around the mouth.

An emerald tree boa at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California Emerald Tree Boa (Corallus caninus) at San Diego Zoo 2010-07-17.jpg
An emerald tree boa at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California

Geographic range

Found in South America in the northern region of Colombia, Brazil, and from Venezuela to Suriname and the Guianas within the so-called Guiana Shield. The type locality given is "Americae." [2] The 'Basin' species, as the name suggests, is only found along the basin of the Amazon River, in southern Suriname, southern Guiana, southern Venezuela to Colombia, Peru and Brazil and in the surrounding jungles of the Amazon River.

Diet

The diet consists primarily of small mammals, but they have been known to eat some smaller bird species as well as lizards and frogs. Due to the extremely slow metabolism of this species, it feeds much less often than ground dwelling species and meals may be several months apart.

Previously, it had been thought that the primary diet consisted of birds. However, studies of the stomach contents of this species indicate that the majority of its diet consists of small mammals such as rodents and marsupials. [9] Juvenile and neonates have also been known to feed on small lizards and frogs, particularly glass frogs (observation made by Henderson et al.).

Reproduction

The emerald tree boa is ovoviviparous, with females producing an average of between 6 and 14 young at a time, sometimes even more. Litters exceeding these numbers are extremely rare. Newly born juveniles have a distinctive brick-red to orange coloration and gradually go through an ontogenetic color change over a period of 12 months, gradually turning to full emerald green.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boidae</span> Family of snakes

The Boidae, commonly known as boas or boids, are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific islands. Boas include some of the world's largest snakes, with the green anaconda of South America being the heaviest and second-longest snake known; in general, adults are medium to large in size, with females usually larger than the males. Six subfamilies comprising 15 genera and 54 species are currently recognized.

<i>Corallus</i> Genus of snakes

Corallus, the neotropical tree boas, are a genus of boas found in Central America, South America and the West Indies. Nine extant species are recognized as of 2017.

<i>Anilius</i> Genus of snakes

The Aniliidae are a monotypic family created for the monotypic genus Anilius that contains the single species Anilius scytale. Common names include the American pipe snake and false coral snake. It is found in South America. This snake possesses a vestigial pelvic girdle that is visible as a pair of cloacal spurs. It is ovoviviparous. It is non-venomous, and its diet consists mainly of amphibians and other reptiles. Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

<i>Xenopeltis</i> Genus of snakes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green tree python</span> Species of snake

The green tree python, is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to New Guinea, some islands in Indonesia, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. First described by Hermann Schlegel in 1872, it was known for many years as Chondropython viridis. As its common name suggests, it is a bright green snake that can reach a total length of 2 m (6.6 ft) and a weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lb), with females slightly larger and heavier than males. Living generally in trees, the green tree python mainly hunts and eats small reptiles and mammals. It is a popular pet, and numbers in the wild have suffered with large-scale smuggling of wild-caught green tree pythons in Indonesia. Despite this, the green tree python is rated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of endangered species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green anaconda</span> Species of snake

The green anaconda, also known as the giant anaconda, emerald anaconda, common anaconda, common water boa, or southern green anaconda, is a semi-aquatic boa species found in South America and the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is the largest, heaviest, and second longest snake in the world, after the reticulated python. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all boas, it is a non-venomous constrictor. The term "anaconda" often refers to this species, though the term could also apply to other members of the genus Eunectes. Fossils of the snake date back to the Late Pleistocene in the Gruta do Urso locality.

<i>Corallus hortulana</i> Species of snake

Corallus hortulana, previously known as Corallus hortulanus, and commonly known as the Amazon tree boa, common tree boa, garden tree boa, and macabrel, is a boa species found in South America. Previously, there were two recognized subspecies, Corallus hortulanus hortulanus, and Corallus hortulanus cooki, though the species has undergone taxonomic revision and has been broken up into several species. It is primarily nocturnal and arboreal, though it has been observed feeding and reproducing on the ground. Like all boas, it is non-venomous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bismarck ringed python</span> Species of snake

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<i>Morelia bredli</i> Species of snake

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<i>Elaphe carinata</i> Species of snake

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<i>Corallus cropanii</i> Species of snake

Corallus cropanii, or Cropani's tree boa, is a species of boa, a snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Like all boas, it is not venomous. No subspecies are currently recognized. Until 2017, no specimen of this snake had been seen alive since 1953 and only five dead specimens had been collected since then, but in late January 2017, an adult female Cropan's tree boa measuring 1.7 m was captured by locals in Ribeira who brought it to herpetologists from the Instituto Butantan and the Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo, who radio-tagged and released the animal to learn more about the species' behavior.

<i>Corallus cookii</i> Species of snake

Corallus cookii, also known as Cook's tree boa or Cooke's tree boa, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. There are no recognized subspecies.

<i>Corallus ruschenbergerii</i> Species of snake

Corallus ruschenbergerii, commonly known as the Central American tree boa, common tree boa, and Trinidad tree boa, is a boa species found in lower Central America and northern South America. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all boas, it is not venomous.

<i>Corallus annulatus</i> Species of snake

Corallus annulatus, known as the ringed tree boa, annulated tree boa, and northern annulated tree boa, is a boa species found in Central and South America. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. Like all boas, it is a non-venomous constrictor.

<i>Bothrops taeniatus</i> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Living Rainforest</span> Zoo in Berkshire, England

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<i>Corallus batesii</i> Species of snake

Corallus batesii, also known commonly as the Amazon Basin emerald tree boa, is a species of snake in the subfamily Boinae of the family Boidae. The species is native to the tropical rainforests of South America. This species was revalidated from the synonymy of Corallus caninus by Henderson and colleagues in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caquetá moist forests</span> Ecoregion in the Amazon biome

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References

  1. ↑ Oubotar, P.; Schargel, W.; Rivas, G. (2016). "Corallus caninus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T203208A2762180. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T203208A2762180.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. ↑ Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN   0-8069-6460-X.
  4. ↑ "Corallus caninus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  5. ↑ "Emerald Tree Boa". CITES. Open Publishing. January 12, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Stidworthy J. 1974. Snakes of the World. Grosset & Dunlap Inc. 160 pp. ISBN   0-448-11856-4.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Robert W.; Passos, Paulo; Feitosa, Darlan (3 September 2009). "Geographic Variation in the Emerald Treeboa, Corallus caninus (Squamata: Boidae)". Copeia. 2009 (3): 572–582. doi:10.1643/ch-08-190. JSTOR   25622941. S2CID   86083502.
  8. ↑ Walder, Rico (17 November 2014). "Expert Care for the Emerald Tree Boa". Reptiles Magazine.
  9. ↑ "Corallus caninus (Emerald Tree Boa)". Animal Diversity Web .

Further reading

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