Origin of Red-Tail?

How did the red-tail boa get its red-tail? Why did it evolve? What function does it serve?

In honor of the HPOTM winner, I am resurrecting this dead thread.

Perhaps no one answered because no one has came up with a plausible evolutionary speculation. Or it just might have got lost in the mix of things.

I ask this question then-does the vibrant-ness of the tail depend on the sex of the boa?

Camo.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Camo.

-adam

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Ok so what's it blending in with?

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

Ok so what's it blending in with?

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The idea of camouflage the way nature designed it isn't always to "blend" ... in this case it is most likely breaking up the natural pattern of the snake when held against a background like a tree branch. Light shining through South and Central American canopies creates funky patterns on everything ... the strong contrast of colors does a good job of obfuscating a part of he body that normally isn't covered up when in a resting position and that also at times has a strong scent.

When a squid squirts ink, that is defined by biologists as a form of camouflage, but the ink doesn't blend with anything ... it just hides the squid while it makes it's get away.

Nature doesn't play "inside the box". ;)

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

does the vibrant-ness of the tail depend on the sex of the boa?

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Given the poor eye sight of snakes and the fact that they see an extremely limited spectrum of colors, I don't see how it’s logical to deduce coloration would have anything to do with interspecies behaviors if that's where you were going?

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

The idea of camouflage the way nature designed it isn't always to "blend" ... in this case it is most likely breaking up the natural pattern of the snake when held against a background like a tree branch. Light shining through South and Central American canopies creates funky patterns on everything ... the strong contrast of colors does a good job of obfuscating a part of he body that normally isn't covered up when in a resting position and that also at times has a strong scent.

When a squid squirts ink, that is defined by biologists as a form of camouflage, but the ink doesn't blend with anything ... it just hides the squid while it makes it's get away.

Nature doesn't play "inside the box". ;)



Given the poor eye sight of snakes and the fact that they see an extremely limited spectrum of colors, I don't see how it’s logical to deduce coloration would have anything to do with interspecies behaviors if that's where you were going?

-adam

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Nice post.......really opened my eyes to "camflouging" so to speak

and yes that's what I was thinking......thanks for the response.

Mike

I always thought it was a distraction tool. Like, "Come her and look at the pretty red thing wiggling" Then "Wham!!" Gotchya. Dinner is on!

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

the strong contrast of colors does a good job of obfuscating a part of he body that normally isn't covered up when in a resting position and that also at times has a strong scent.

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Cool....anyone know who their natural predators are? (i.e. who RTB are prey for?)

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

I always thought it was a distraction tool. Like, "Come her and look at the pretty red thing wiggling" Then "Wham!!" Gotchya. Dinner is on!

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I had considered it, but I would think too big to be a "lure" given the size of some of the tails I've seen ... typically snakes with "lures" like on a GTP are only a small enough fraction of the tail to draw interest.

When I think about it, I just keep hearing my drill instructor in boot camp preaching about breaking up the natural shapes and shadows that your face has when putting on camo face paint ... the "eye" is an easy thing to trick when it's attached to a brain. :P

-adam

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

Cool....anyone know who their natural predators are? (i.e. who RTB are prey for?)

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I know Jaguar for sure ... I've got to dust off my thinking cap for anything beyond that ... I have a buddy that goes down there every couple of years that I could call actually.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I had considered it, but I would think too big to be a "lure" given the size of some of the tails I've seen ... typically snakes with "lures" like on a GTP are only a small enough fraction of the tail to draw interest.

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This is kind of off-topic but does anyone have a pic of this lure? Or can anyone describe it?

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

This is kind of off-topic but does anyone have a pic of this lure? Or can anyone describe it?

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I can't get a picture now, but I'll try to get one soon... maybe even a video. Essentially, the "lure" is the last 2-3 inches or so of the tail which is quite thin and black. It doesn't match the color of the snake at all. The GTP will typically sit in a coiled position on a perch and dangle the tip of the tail beneath it while wiggling it to simulate the movement of a worm. It's actually pretty cool to watch.

I remember seeing a Steve Irwin video of the "10 Deadliest Snakes in the World", which, gosh, are all in Australia =P (or were according to the show)...anywho, the like 7st deadliest used a lure tail to hunt prey. The snakey was mostly burrowed under leaf litter (and it's pattern helped camo it), with its tail tip sticking up, gently waving, like a worm or something.

I can't remember what the snake was, but it was cool to watch.

Here's a neat link on snakes that use caudal luring.

http://people.vanderbilt.edu/~r.s.reiserer/luring.html


I know there's fish like the Angler Fish that use body appendages to lure in prey with wormlike movements. As well another fish, though I can't remember it's name, that has a wormlike thing in it's mouth so other fish see what they think is prey and swim into a trap.

Thanks for the links Joanna. Very good example.

Great link Joanna. Baby copperheads also have a "lure" tail too

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Here's a neat link on snakes that use caudal luring.

http://people.vanderbilt.edu/~r.s.reiserer/luring.html


I know there's fish like the Angler Fish that use body appendages to lure in prey with wormlike movements. As well another fish, though I can't remember it's name, that has a wormlike thing in it's mouth so other fish see what they think is prey and swim into a trap.

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Awesome link. Thank you very much.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Here's a neat link on snakes that use caudal luring.

http://people.vanderbilt.edu/~r.s.reiserer/luring.html


I know there's fish like the Angler Fish that use body appendages to lure in prey with wormlike movements. As well another fish, though I can't remember it's name, that has a wormlike thing in it's mouth so other fish see what they think is prey and swim into a trap.

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The Head light Fish, Gulper eel, and the deep sea Ruby Angler to just name a very small few. Some Snapping turtels have a worm like groth on the tip of there toung(how the heck do you spell that word!!)( :tongue2: )
great sight though!