bcc and bci - differences?

[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.