Tarahumara Wednesday!

I snatched a couple additional pictures of the male. Will try to get some in natural light later today. He has a super dark point on his head, and while it doesn't come through in these pictures so much, has some faint pink tones on his belly. Not nearly as much as the female, but maybe because he's still young? Also, a couple of pictures of how I found him resting/sleeping the other night.

Let me know what you think of his markings Evenstar and Tim.


http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1268.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1270.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1260.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1259.jpg

If you yourself put the 2 animals side by side I think you'll notice a big difference between the sexes.. The female is Classic and picture perfect for the locale.. Connected saddles, with oval or circle interspaces, proper color.. There's 2 gold lines on the right and left of each saddle which will intensify with time, along with the orange in the sides and belly.. The head spade is right with no holes or perforations.. Should be dark brown with gold metal flake scales.. The males color is different, the saddles appear too perforated.. The head spear is not visable enough to see if there's holes or perforations.. Definitley Mexican but unlike what I have come to know of the locale..

A few more in some better light.


http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1272.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1274.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1275.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCN1280.jpg


So you're pretty certain he's not true Tarahumara? And if he's not, can anyone identify the locale?

No I would not say that.. With the last set of pictures his head spade is correct, No holes, gold metal flaking, lateral projections to the eyes.. He's likely just a bit different than the normal color and of course will change as he grows.. They are wonderful to keep and I wish years of enjoyment..Well done :gj: and progression photos of course..:D

:strong: Whew! I was getting a little worried there. Yeah, he definitely differs from the female, but still mostly resembles the Tarahumaras I've seen compared to any other species. Thank you!

Beautiful snakes! I thought about one of these as my first boa, but reconsidered after I heard that they tend to be snippy.. I'm glad you found two with good personalities. I love the coloration and pattern on the male especially. Do these guys tend to keep their contrast as they mature or "muddy up" like the other BCI localities?

Great photos, btw, especially the last set. I love the iridescence on his sides.

I agree with Tim on all accounts. It is very hard to find pure Tarahumara and there are very few trustworthy breeders working with them, so I was a touch worried there about purity with the male, but after seeing the additional pics, I don't think there's an issue. He's just atypical. Very pretty though. Nice pickups for sure.... :gj:

From what I've seen of adults, they seem to hold their patterns really nicely on top of developing those pink tones. Temperaments are just as varied as any boa species. The two I have are still nervous in hand, but have yet to strike or hiss which is pretty impressive. He has way more iridescence than the pictures pick up. Definitely a cool species, very excited to have them.

And don't worry, I always keep up with progress pictures!