Rainbow boa
| Rainbow boa | ||||||||||||
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Red rainbow boa ( Epicrates cenchria cenchria ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Epicrates cenchria | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The rainbow boa ( Epicrates cenchria ), also known as the red rainbow boa , is a type of slender boa ( Epicrates ) that is common in various subspecies in Central America and northern South America.
features
The rainbow boa can be up to 2.30 meters long, with females i. d. Can usually grow up to about two meters and males remain significantly smaller with about 1.60 meters. The snake is copper-red to orange, with many subspecies becoming increasingly brownish in color with age. There are black circles as a pattern all over the body and a small black line usually runs over the head. Snakes standing in the moult are often almost completely white and the pattern is difficult to see. The body is covered by iridescent scales , which, when exposed to sunlight, lead to the eponymous rainbow-like reflection patterns, especially in young animals and freshly skinned individuals .
Way of life
The rainbow boa is an inhabitant of the tropical rainforests . As a young animal it is more often to be found in trees, but adult animals are exclusively ground-dwelling. It can also be found in rocky, tree-sparse areas and also in cultivated land, where it usually occurs near bodies of water.
Subspecies
Eight subspecies are currently recognized for the rainbow boa:
- Epicrates cenchria cenchria
- Epicrates cenchria alvarezi
- Epicrates cenchria assisi
- Epicrates cenchria barbouri
- Epicrates cenchria crassus
- Epicrates cenchria gaigei
- Epicrates cenchria hygrophilus
- Epicrates cenchria polylepis
literature
- Dieter Schmitt: snakes. Biology, species, terraristics. bede, Ruhmannsfelden 2006, ISBN 3-89860-115-3 , page 65.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ RW Henderson, R. Powell: The Biology of Boas and Pythons. A retrospective look to the future. In: RW Henderson, R. Powell (Eds.): Biology of the Boas and Pythons. Eagle Mountain Publishing, Eagle Mountain 2007, ISBN 978-0-9720154-3-1 , pp. 3-22.