Corallus hortulana

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.

Corallus hortulana
Juvenile in Ecuador
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Boidae
Genus:	Corallus
Species:	C. hortulana
Binomial name
Corallus hortulana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Synonyms List Coluber hortulanus Linnaeus, 1754 [Boa] Hortulana Linnaeus, 1758 [Boa] Enydris Linnaeus, 1758 Boa hortulana Linnaeus, 1766 Vipera bitis Laurenti, 1768 Vipera madarensis Laurenti, 1768 [Coluber] madarensis Gmelin, 1788 [Coluber] Bitis Gmelin, 1788 Boa Merremii Sentzen, 1796 Boa Ambleocephala Donndorff, 1798 Boa Merremi Schneider, 1801 Boa obtusiceps Bechstein, 1802 Boa elegans Daudin, 1803 Corallus obtusirostris Daudin, 1803 Xiphostoma ornatum Wagler, 1824 Xiphostoma dorsuale - Wagler, 1824 X[iphosoma]. hortulanum Fitzinger, 1826 [Xiphosoma] Merremii Wagler, 1830 Boa modesta Reuss, 1830 Boa hortulana Schlegel, 1837 Corallus maculatus Gray, 1842 Corallus hortulanus Gray, 1842 Xiphosoma hortulanum A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844 Corallus hortulanus Boulenger, 1893 Boa hortulana Ihering, 1911 Boa hortulana Griffin, 1916 Boa enydris enydris Stull, 1935 Corallus enydris Forcart, 1951 Corallus enydris enydris Forcart, 1951 Corallus hortulanus hortulanus Roze, 1966 Corallus enydris Henderson, 1993 Corallus hortulanus McDiarmid, Touré & Savage, 1996

Description

Adults grow to an average of 5 and 6.5 feet (1.5–2 m) This species exhibits an array of colors and patterns. The basic color can be anywhere from black, brown, or gray, to any shade of red, orange, yellow, or many colors in between. The head generally has five dark stripes that extend from the eyes. The eyes can be yellowish, grayish, or reddish, and they have a reflective membrane that results in eyeshine at night. Some are patternless, while others may be speckled, banded, or saddled with rhomboid or chevron shapes. Some reds will have yellow patterns, some yellows red or orange patterns. "The tongue is black. Males and females are similar in size and markings. They range from 525 to 1880 mm in length, usually from 1200 to 1500 mm." Like all other boas they have a pair of anal spurs that extend from the cloaca, which are small, claw-like remnants of vestigial hindlimbs.

In the herpetoculture hobby, they are often distinguished by two color 'phases' that appear genetically inherited, the 'garden phase' and the 'colored phase'. The 'garden phase' refers to boas with drab coloration, mostly brown or olive, with varied patterning, while the 'colored phase' refers to animals with combinations of red, orange, and yellow coloring.

• 
  adult in Peru
• 
  juvenile in Peru

Geographic range

The range of Corallus hortulana stretches from southern Central America, across northern South America, southeast to the Tropic of Cancer in Brazil. Amazon tree boas are found in a wide variety of habitats. They are common in arboreal regions with high humidity, especially Amazon rainforest. They can also be found in dry areas such as savannas or dry forests.

Most studied Corallus hortulana specimens are found 2 m or more above the ground in trees or other vegetation. They have also been observed feeding and reproducing on the ground. Amazon tree boas are also relatively common along rivers. They occupy forest, rainforest and scrub forest terrestrial Biomes and are especially associated with Riparian habitats.

They range from 0 to 900 m in elevation, though typically found below 300 m elevation.

Diet

Like all other Boidae, Amazon Tree Boas feed by constricting whole, live prey. They have long teeth which help it to catch potentially flying prey while in trees. The diet is described as being "very euryphagic", which means it consumes a wide variety of prey. In the wild the species has been observed to consume all manner of vertebrate prey, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and possibly even fish. "More than 50% of the individuals fed on prey weighing up to 20% of their own body mass and about 20% preyed on animals weighing from 40-95% of their masses." In terms of absolute mass, adults fed on larger prey items, while younger specimens ate proportionally larger food items.

It has been suggested that there is an ontogenetic change in general prey preferences with younger individuals preferring reptiles and amphibians while adults eat almost exclusively birds and mammals.

Reproduction

Amazon Tree Boas, like other Boas are ovoviparous, which means they give birth to live young. The reproductive season of Corallus hortulana can vary between locations, and has variously been attributed to food availability and seasonal conditions. During copulation, the male entangles about 30% of its body around the female and performs movements with his head, including rubbing the chin against the female’s neck and head. In captivity, two males copulated for ~37 minutes with a female, without engaging in combat. After a gestation period of 6–7 months, females give birth from 2–29 young that measure 28.2–64.4 cm in total length.

Though the species has a wide distribution and is relatively abundant, comparatively little is known about its reproduction in the wild. There have been 4 documented cases of Amazon Tree Boas copulating in the wild. Surprisingly, though primarily arboreal and nocturnal, Amazon Tree Boas have been documented mating during the day and night as well as in the canopy and on the ground. Two daytime observations were in the trees, while two were on the ground.

Captivity

While Amazon tree boas are encountered relatively frequently in the pet industry, they have a notoriously irritable temperament, do not hesitate to bite, and have specific care requirements. As such, they are not recommended for inexperienced keepers.

Further reading

• Mattison C. 1999. Snake. DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7894-4660-X.

External links

• Corallus hortulanus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 14 July 2008.