What is the difference between a boa that has these black speckles/dots on its body and one that doesn’t? What causes these speckles?
2 Likes
Most black speckling you see in boas is just there natural coloring. It’s helps with camouflaging them. Pure locality boas will have more black speckling in them. When you get into morphs some breeders try to reduce the speckling in the morphs they produce by selective breeding. Hypo boas help with removing some of the black pigments.
But there are some boas that show a different kind of very black spots that can be what people call paradox. It takes people time to learn the difference between black speckling and paradox. I see alot of boas people say are paradox but in reality they are not. Paradox is a non reproducing mutation that breeders can’t make. It just shows up from time to time on it’s own.
These boa’s are just natural black speckling.
These boas are paradox boas. Much easier to see in albino boas.
5 Likes
I really like those black speckles (the natural ones, not paradox). I especially like the speckling on lighter-colored boas, like in the photo where you’re holding two snakes.
It got me thinking because the two boas that @xenosapien posted look quite similar overall, yet one has those speckles and the other doesn’t. I wondered if there might be a specific gene responsible for that difference. To be honest, I’m also looking around to see what else catches my eye, because I’m considering getting more boas. Keeping boas is quite… addictive. 
3 Likes
The two boas where from the same litter and all of them had some degree of speckling on them. Some of them now have a golden base color to them. The ones with more speckling don’t have the gold base color. The first picture in the group of pictures is the mom to the two you like.
This is the mom to them she has a lot of speckling.
6 Likes
I actually like the babies much more than the mother. Are the babies hypo? Will they start to look more like their mother as they mature?
1 Like
Their from the same litter but not all have speckles ill post all 5 soon so you can see thedifference and variance in the select few i have
2 Likes
It might be a gene thats selectively passed down…
Kinda how one sibling might be darker then another
1 Like
Yes they are all hypo’s so they shouldn’t get as dark as mom. They are 3 years old now so they should have there adult colors for the most part now.
2 Likes
What morph is the snake in the first two photos? And the last one?
3 Likes
The snake in the very first pic is a close up of the head of the very last snake pictured. She is an Anery Labyrinth het VPI.
The snake in the second and third pics is a Key West triple het VPI/Anery/Leopard. She got a lot of visual influence from the het leopard which gives her the anery appearance. She is not anery though as she has a lot of pink/purple highlights.
2 Likes
Anery is actually something I’ve just come to be interested in right now.
I really like this morph. I’m not sure if it’s okay to post links here, but this is the kind of boa that I find especially attractive:
https://www.morphmarket.com/sk/c/reptiles/boas/common-boa-constrictors/3827257
4 Likes
I’m trying to make VPI Snowglow Labyrinth Jungles with her this upcoming season. She looks like she is made of stone when she is in a light phase.
3 Likes
Good luck then! That must be an interesting combination!
What is actually the difference between Snowglow and Moonglow? Are they the same thing? It looks like the same traits are listed in the MorphMarket descriptions.
It’s really interesting what VPI T+ does with the Anery genes… if I understand it correctly.
3 Likes
Moonglow uses a T- form of albino (kahl or sharp). Not sure what differentiates it from a T- snow. I only have VPI T+ albino in my collection.
2 Likes
Eric all of them look fantastic. I really like how this one is coloring up. The contrast is fantastic. 
6 Likes
Although now I can see that VPI+ Snowglow also turn intensely yellow as adults. Is there any morph that stays light in old age but doesn’t turn yellow or brown? Maybe Super Fire, but their dark eyes are a bit unsettling to me.
2 Likes
He’s a sharp looking snake. I plan to double up males on the big Anery Labyrinth het VPI female with him and the Orangasm VPI Sunglow Jungle het Anery pictured in my most recent post this coming season.
3 Likes
I actually prefer just the snow to the snowglow look but some of the pastel lines (orangasm and gamma green) can make the snowglows turn highlighter yellow/green. Which is kinda cool.
3 Likes