Common names: common northern boa., common boa or BCI

Boa constrictor imperator is a nonvenomous boa

Boinae

The Boinae are a subfamily of boas found in Central and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Five genera comprising 28 species are currently recognized.-Geographic range:...

 subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 found in Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

.

Description

B. c. imperator is wide-ranging, with animals living in both Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

 and northern parts of South America. As a result, the appearance of this snake varies greatly depending on the specific locality.

One population is found on the Cayos Cochinos

Cayos Cochinos

The Cayos Cochinos or Cochinos Cays are a group of two small islands and 13 more small coral cays situated 30 kilometers northeast of La Ceiba on the northern shores of Honduras. Although geographically separate, they belong to the Bay Islands department and are part of Roatán municipality. The...

 (Hog Islands) off the north shore of Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

. These are naturally hypomelanistic, which means that they have reduced melanin

Melanin

Melanin is a pigment that is ubiquitous in nature, being found in most organisms . In animals melanin pigments are derivatives of the amino acid tyrosine. The most common form of biological melanin is eumelanin, a brown-black polymer of dihydroxyindole carboxylic acids, and their reduced forms...

, and are thus more lightly colored, although they retain the distinctive darker tail that is characteristic of most members of this species. The color of the tail may vary from salmon pink to orange. A favorite among collectors, there are fears that they are almost extinct in the wild.
Another well known population of Boa constrictor imperator is the population from Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

. While not as small as the dwarf insular island populations, adults are still smaller than the larger Boa constrictor constrictor. The size of a mature female Nicaraguan boa is 1.1 meters and 1.9 kilograms, while the larger female Boa constrictor constrictor is not mature until it reaches 1.6 meters and 4.5 kilograms. Nicaraguan individuals typically have a compact saddle pattern on their back that is often circular in shape. These boas have a reputation for being "nippy", with some individuals being quick to bite in self defense.

Mainland specimens from Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 can be among the larger boas, but this subspecies also includes a number of dwarf insular populations, such as those from various Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 islands and the Sonoran Desert

Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...

 of Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. These populations represent the smallest of the species.

Some generalizations can be made despite the wide range that Boa constrictor imperator survives in. As one of the smaller Boa constrictor

Boa constrictor

The Boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied species of snake. It is a member of the family Boidae found in North, Central, and South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive...

 subspecies, they average between 1.3 m and 2.5 m in length when fully grown, but have been known to reach 3.7 m. They are usually weigh around 6 kg, although females are significantly larger than males. Lifespan in the wild is around 20–30 years, but 40 can be exceeded in captivity. Although B. c. imperator exhibits almost identical patterns to the other recognized subspecies of Boa constrictor

Boa constrictor

The Boa constrictor is a large, heavy-bodied species of snake. It is a member of the family Boidae found in North, Central, and South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean. A staple of private collections and public displays, its color pattern is highly variable yet distinctive...

, this subspecies often has a darker tail, usually dark brown or very dark red. They are however, usually just as colorful as their counterparts, and like the larger boas can be bred into a variety of different colors given the right conditions to breed.

Geographic range

The type locality given is "l' Amerique meridionale, principalement au Mexique" (Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

, principally Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

).

Captivity

This snake subspecies is becoming extremely popular in the exotic pet trade, due in part to the vast amounts of color and pattern morphs that breeders are creating, as well as their manageable size in comparison to the Boa constrictor constrictor.

Adult males typically need around a 100 gallon tank and would rarely exceed 6 feet, while females might need up to a 150 gallon tank since they usually exceed 6 feet.

It is generally known that all of the Boa constrictor subspecies be fed rats

RATS

RATS may refer to:* RATS , Regression Analysis of Time Series, a statistical package* Rough Auditing Tool for Security, a computer program...

, as an alternative to mice

MICE

-Fiction:*Mice , alien species in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*The Mice -Acronyms:* "Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions", facilities terminology for events...

for healthier growth. Typically these snakes are very well tempered and easy to breed. Although not as thick-bodied as ball pythons, they do, on average, get longer and have a stronger feeding response in comparison to ball pythons.