A Gem Of A Snake

Heat Receptor Pits run along the face

The other day when I was studying my boa buddies, I was taken aback by the sheer beauty of one of the boas. The boa I'm talking about is the jewel of the boas, the Emerald Boa. The scientific name of this stunning specimen is Corallus Caninus. It's large range of origin spreads to Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, and Brazil where it can be found near the Amazon river basin to wet, lowland rain forests. There they can be found in the high canopy wrapped around a thick branch overhanging a water source. They prefer damp regions that get around 59 inches of rain annually. They also can be found in elevations ranging from 0 to 3,200 ft!

Melanism Morph

Appearance wise, they are very stout compared their other members of the Genus Corallus with a two inch diameter, but end with a very strong tail that allows them to grip around tree branches. They are also distinguishable due to their excessive amount of heat receptor pits, which make them very advanced hunters. They can also vary in appearance due to their location. Emerald boas found near the Amazon river basin are typically larger than elsewhere, usually at a length of seven to ten feet. Typically, they are found at four to six feet. Adults vary with shades of green, while juveniles and differ in color greatly. They may have a melanism morph that allows them to come in a dark black as well as a Suriname variation that gives them a white and black pattern on their green skin. They can be born green, brick red, orange, yellow, or a collaboration of colors.

Emerald Tree Boa Striking

In the wild, Emerald boas consist of a diet of birds. This is their ideal prey due to their convenient perch. They have even been known to catch birds in mid-flight. They also have a mammalian diet consisting of the typical rodent, lizards, monkeys and bats. Their fangs are designed to hook into the bird and penetrate the feathers. Then, it will place its prey in its coils to constrict. In zoos and captivity, they do live off of mice, rats, and chicks.
Before you get your hopes up, these snakes are horribly expansive. While they do have a few snakes under $200, they are usually very unhealthy. To get a healthy Emerald Tree snake, they can be about $400 to $800 due to shipping. Though, I always insist that if you plan to purchase a snake, you buy it from a reliable owner who may be trying to sell it. These snakes are not endangered, so that is not prohibitive to the purchase these wonderful snakes.