bcc and bci - differences?

[mainbutter]

So what exactly are the differences beteween bcc and bci? They are both called red tailed boas as their "common name", right?

I've read that bccs are bigger, but other than that I don't know what makes them different.

Are they actually different species, or just seperated enough by locale to have specific designations?

Is their husbandry the same?

Just some questions from someone curious about the ambiguous information on the internet.

[ssjsmits]

So what exactly are the differences beteween bcc and bci? They are both called red tailed boas as their "common name", right?

I've read that bccs are bigger, but other than that I don't know what makes them different.

Are they actually different species, or just seperated enough by locale to have specific designations?

Is their husbandry the same?

Just some questions from someone curious about the ambiguous information on the internet.

Huge differences if you pay attention. In the pet trade, most Boa constrictor imperator are referred to as "red tails". Which is actually incorrect. Red-tails are Boa constrictor constrictor. However, to confuse you more lol, there are boa from Colombia (for the most part referred to as BCI) that are true red tails (BCC). But they are very very very uncommon in the pet trade. Very rare and very expensive. With the exception of that, if the boa isn't from Peru, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, W.Venezuela, Trindidad, they are not Red tails.
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For the most part, yes, BCC get bigger. But this is a highly overstated comment. Every boa grows at a different rate, regardless of the ssp. You'll hear a lot of, "BCC get 8-12ft" or whatever. It's bogus. They do attain great lengths, but it's very uncommon to see a BCC over 10ft. Even more so one that is in good health and not obese.
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The difference between the two ssp. (BCC and BCI) are as clear as night and day. Ruling out the different saddle and scale counts, tail color (overall color), the morphological look (head shape, body shape etc) are very much different. BCC have larger looking heads and are quite different looking than a BCI. BCC have a more rectangular shaped body while a BCI is more rounded. Again, you just have to look at a lot of photos to see the difference.
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Once you have looked at tons of photos between the two, it's very clear on the difference. Husbandry wise, they are the same generally. BCI tend to me more tolerant to errors than BCC as they can be sensitive if not cared for properly. I feel it's a good practice to treat all ssp. of the Boa constrictor the same way.
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Hope that cleared up some things.

[Lateralus_Love]

With all these differences, can a BCC still be bred with a BCI? Or can you only stay within each ssp? Kinda like a horse and donkey or whatever =P

[snakewrangler]

BCC x BCI crosses are difficult to achieve. In the wild, these two species breed during different times of the year, so their internal clocks are not synchronized. Also take into account the geographic range of different boa species- it is highly unlikely that an island imperator would mate with a mainland constrictor.

[Jyson]

Huge differences if you pay attention. In the pet trade, most Boa constrictor imperator are referred to as "red tails". Which is actually incorrect. Red-tails are Boa constrictor [I]constrictor[I]. However, to confuse you more lol, there are boa from Colombia (for the most part referred to as BCI) that are true red tails (BCC). But they are very very very uncommon in the pet trade. Very rare and very expensive. With the exception of that, if the boa isn't from Peru, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, W.Venezuela, Trindidad, they are not Red tails.
.
For the most part, yes, BCC get bigger. But this is a highly overstated comment. Every boa grows at a different rate, regardless of the ssp. You'll hear a lot of, "BCC get 8-12ft" or whatever. It's bogus. They do attain great lengths, but it's very uncommon to see a BCC over 10ft. Even more so one that is in good health and not obese.
.
The difference between the two ssp. (BCC and BCI) are as clear as night and day. Ruling out the different saddle and scale counts, tail color (overall color), the morphological look (head shape, body shape etc) are very much different. BCC have larger looking heads and are quite different looking than a BCI. BCC have a more rectangular shaped body while a BCI is more rounded. Again, you just have to look at a lot of photos to see the difference.
.
Once you have looked at tons of photos between the two, it's very clear on the difference. Husbandry wise, they are the same generally. BCI tend to me more tolerant to errors than BCC as they can be sensitive if not cared for properly. I feel it's a good practice to treat all ssp. of the Boa constrictor the same way.
.
Hope that cleared up some things.

Very Well put!

[Darkice]

I tried crossing the 2 and it didn't work. The male just didn't have it in him.

[mrmertz]

Yeah, I notice the difference with the head shape, not even looking at the saddle count. Our Suriname's head is much slimmer looking when viewed from the top compared to Mr. Biggles (our BCI). As stated before, BCC's tend to grow larger, but slower, than BCI's. Is this getting more confusing or what.

Oh yeah, my numbers thingy;

1.0 Colombian Boa
1.0 Suriname RTB
1.0 Run-Of-The-Mill BP

0.0.1 Emporer Scorpion
0.0.1 Tarantula
0.1.0 Tarantula
0.1.0 Homo Sapiens
0.2.0 Homo Sapiens Offspring

[mricyfire]

Huge differences if you pay attention. In the pet trade, most Boa constrictor imperator are referred to as "red tails". Which is actually incorrect. Red-tails are Boa constrictor constrictor. However, to confuse you more lol, there are boa from Colombia (for the most part referred to as BCI) that are true red tails (BCC). But they are very very very uncommon in the pet trade. Very rare and very expensive. With the exception of that, if the boa isn't from Peru, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, W.Venezuela, Trindidad, they are not Red tails.
.
For the most part, yes, BCC get bigger. But this is a highly overstated comment. Every boa grows at a different rate, regardless of the ssp. You'll hear a lot of, "BCC get 8-12ft" or whatever. It's bogus. They do attain great lengths, but it's very uncommon to see a BCC over 10ft. Even more so one that is in good health and not obese.
.
The difference between the two ssp. (BCC and BCI) are as clear as night and day. Ruling out the different saddle and scale counts, tail color (overall color), the morphological look (head shape, body shape etc) are very much different. BCC have larger looking heads and are quite different looking than a BCI. BCC have a more rectangular shaped body while a BCI is more rounded. Again, you just have to look at a lot of photos to see the difference.
.
Once you have looked at tons of photos between the two, it's very clear on the difference. Husbandry wise, they are the same generally. BCI tend to me more tolerant to errors than BCC as they can be sensitive if not cared for properly. I feel it's a good practice to treat all ssp. of the Boa constrictor the same way.
.
Hope that cleared up some things.

Why are BCIs not Red Tails? They do have a red tail (some anyways)...just wondering who made that determination.

[ssjsmits]

Well it really depends on who you ask. From a taxonomy perspective, they are not. They differ big time. The term "Red Tail" is highly abused in this hoddy in my opinion. I mean, are BCI's tails really red? Or more of an orange or Brown? BCI, BCC, BCL, BCS, BCA etc are ALL Boa Constrictors. BCC are red tails. And the term "True Red Tail" is used because people in the pet trade throw Red Tail boa on all sorts of ssps. because it sounds much better than Boa Constritor. People call BCI's red tails, but technically, they are not.

[pedipalps]

BCI called Red-tail, but BCC is the True Red-tail.