Visual differences

Will someone please help me get my mind around the visual difference between boas and pythons?

Namely, the head of the animals. I need to just BUY a boa so I can have a good look at the two side by side. I know the difference in the animals, but can't tell them apart at a glance (which I'm worried will be embarrassing at some point).

LOL really??

The easiest way is the pattern I suppose. You won't see a ball python with a boa pattern. Although Both Boas and Pythons have pattern morphs you generally wont find ones that look the same. The following two photos are examples of normal patterns with no mutations. Both are bad examples of pastels. The Boa is a Colombian Red Tail Boa Constrictor Imperator. There are many different boa species..
Boa
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...sis2_thumb.jpg
Ball Python
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...cash_thumb.jpg

Another good way is the head shape. Ball's have rounder heads, boas heads are more like "arrow heads."

Ball Python Head
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...40_o_thumb.jpg
Boa Head
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...sis3_thumb.jpg

It also gets tricky when you get into different boa and python species. Blood Pythons can often look similar in head shape to Boas but the patterns are very different. Was there a specific species of boa you wanted? I could find photo's for you.

Cheers

Yes.... Really....


Thank you for the information. I just remember earlier this year going to the herpetarium at the zoo, and staring at a ETB and a GTP and going "uhhhhh...." (they weren't labeled)

There are toooooooo many variations of boa/python pattern for me to EVER get them straight. People who can just look at one and call it immediately are beyond me. I was just wondering if there was a special trick I was not privy to.

SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS HARD FOR ME

ETB
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H2hr1f7RJU...52813%2529.jpg

GTP
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/..._470x352,0.jpg


If it weren't for that stripe on the boa, they'd be almost indistinguishable. And not all of them have such prominent striping.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FalconPunch

Yes.... Really....


Thank you for the information. I just remember earlier this year going to the herpetarium at the zoo, and staring at a ETB and a GTP and going "uhhhhh...." (they weren't labeled)

There are toooooooo many variations of boa/python pattern for me to EVER get them straight. People who can just look at one and call it immediately are beyond me. I was just wondering if there was a special trick I was not privy to.

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LOL not really, just lots of experience and research. I know the feeling. I used to never know the difference between a pastel and a spider, or any ball python morph in that case. It will all come together the more time you spend checking them out. I still can't tell the difference between a green tree python and an emerald tree boa.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FalconPunch

SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS HARD FOR ME

ETB
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H2hr1f7RJU...52813%2529.jpg

GTP
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/..._470x352,0.jpg


If it weren't for that stripe on the boa, they'd be almost indistinguishable. And not all of them have such prominent striping.

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LMAO! I posted my last post without seeing your response!! LOL Its 3am here (tired and @work) and I was trying to figure out how I conjured photo's without remembering!! hahahaha

yeah for sure if you put the two in front of me I would have no idea. LOL

Hahaha. Yeah I guess the solution here is obvious. I need to buy a lot more snakes. I'll go tell the wife.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FalconPunch

Hahaha. Yeah I guess the solution here is obvious. I need to buy a lot more snakes. I'll go tell the wife.

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good luck!

I walked into my apartment with a wine fridge. The conversation between me and my common law went a little like this:

"What is that?"
me: "A wine fridge."
"Why?"
me: "I'm going to turn it into an incubator."
"Why?"
me: "I wan't to breed my ball pythons..."
"No."
me: "I already bought the wine fridge.."
"I never told you it was okay."
me: "Ummm..."
"No."
me: "I'm going to anyways you might as well accept it."
"You might as well accept the fact that your about to be single."

And now the wine fridge is in the storage room. LOL

There isn't really a cookie cutter image for boidae or pythonidae. Your best bet would be to just look at pictures and more pictures and more pictures and try not to think along the lines of "all pythons look like this" or "so this is what a boas look like".. Not all pythons are going to look similar, same for boas.. Keep looking at pictures one species at a time while committing to memory which family they belong to. Pay close attention to head shape, pattern and body type to help keep them separated as you go.