REPTILIA: SQUAMATA: BOIDAE: Corallus

Corallus canina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Emerald tree boa

Photos & text by Dr. Robert Sprackland.

Range: Tropical South America in forests.

Diagnosis: A green snake with labial heat-sensitive pits and a prehensile tail.

Description: Head triangular, with a slight downward curve when seen in profile. Upper and lower lips with heat-sensitive organs. Anterior teeth long, solid and fang-like. Head scales large and smooth. Pupils elliptical. Body and head green above (in adults), yellow below, and with white dorsal markings.

Natural History: A fully arboreal species that rarely comes to the ground. The snakes usually drape themselves over tree limbs, holding on with the prehensile tail. They literally drop onto passing prey, often birds. The long teeth allow the snake to pierce the protective coat of feathers.

Photos below show (upper) the labial heat-detecting pits of an adult boa. (Lower) a young boa in the final stage of changing from juvenile to adult coloration.  

Reproduction: Live bearing. Offspring may be yellowish or brick red until they mature.

Taxonomy & Relationships:

Variation: There is variation in this species that may be geographically marked. Further research is obviously needed.

Additional Comments:

Type Specimen:

Literature: