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Corallus hortulanus is a ovoviviparous tree boa with a laterally compressed body, a long and slender neck and a clearly separated and relatively large head.

Male and female Amazon tree boas are similar in size and adults can reach a length of 160 to 210 centimetres long.

Despite their length and large heads, these snakes only weigh between 400 and 800 grams and are slow growers.

Their Conservation Status is CITES B; not considered to be at risk.

Senses:
They have large bulging eyes which vary in colour between yellowish, reddish and greyish. Their eyesight in daytime is excellent.

They have heat sensing pits in the upper and lower jaw. These pits detect heat , giving the snake the ability to find their prey at night when they are most active.

Their tongue is black in colour.

Teeth:
This picture shows the skull of a Corallus hortulanus.

The anterior teeth are highly elongated and work like meat hooks preventing prey to free themselves. Long teeth are handy to penetrate layers of feathers and get a firm grip on birds.

It prevents them from ending up with only a mouth full of feathers..

Behavior:
Corallus hortulanus are arboreal boas and may be active during the day but they are actively hunting during the night. Especially after spraying when the humidity is high I see them actively hunting mostly between 18.00 hrs. and midnight.

I see them often with their head and neck out of the hiding place in ambush position. Because they are solitary living snakes I keep them all separately and introduce them only to each other during the mating season.

Polymorph:
Polymorphism is the occurrence of two or more clearly different morphs or forms within species. To be classified as such, morphs must occupy the same habitat at the same time and belong to a population with random mating.

Corallus Hortulanus is polymorph and varies widely in colour, ranging from black, brown and grey to bright yellow, orange, and red. They can be pattern less, speckled, banded, or with saddles.

In breeding Corallus hortulanus you can select on colour and pattern but you will never be certain about the outcome. That is what makes breeding Corallus hortulanus a lot of fun to me.

Longevity:
Several sources state that the maximum live span (in captivity) for Corallus hortulanus is 18 -20 years.

The oldest Corallus in my collection is a male, born in October 2001 I bought him when he was three months old. According to statistics, he should be almost dead. He doesn’t seem to know; he’s stil going strong and remains interested in every female introduced to him…

My oldest Coralls, born in October 2001