Is my Boa Melanistic?

[The_Boaphile]

I think I would take this opportunity to hop up on my little soap box and vent a little. First let me say this is not directed at any one in particular. It is directed at the concept that anyone actually owns a melanistic Boa Constrictor. In fact I have seen obscene prices listed on very black Colombian Boas being offered by folks who know better as melanistic for prices upwards of $10,000! This has really aggravated me:

Melanistic: What does melanistic mean? Melanistic means the following:

Dark coloration of the skin, hair, fur, or feathers because of a high concentration of melanin.

Now we as loosely defining herpetoculturalist, if that is what we are, can define anything that has more melanin than most as melanistic if we want to. However if we are interested in being intellectually honest, we must define anything melanistic as being totally BLACK. This means, not a hint of pattern. Nothing. If there is a pattern, then the animal is not totally melanistic. You can call an unusually dark animal hyper-melanistic if you want to but in my, I guess not really humble opinion, I would not call anything that has anything anywhere on it other than total coal blackness melanistic. These exist in some species. Garter snakes for one. It also occurs in other animals besides reptiles. Something in the skin, hair or feathers goes nuts and produces nothing but black (melanin) and so total blackness is what you will find. I have been saving back for breeding some really dark Boas over the years. However at no time will you see me call a Boa Constrictor that isn't totally black melanistic. If it isn't totally black it is just darker than most. Maybe even far darker or blacker than most. That's it. I will be quite now for a while.

Jeff Ronne
The Boaphile

By the way... I believe a "truly" melanistic Boa would be worth about $100,000. I think people would be crazier about a real Melanistic Boa than they are about any Albino. I know that I would. A really black Boa if that is what you are looking for is worth whatever you are willing to pay for it. If I ever saw one offered for sale that was darker than the several that I am raising up, I might pay up to $1,000 for it. However, I have not seen any that dark including the several claimed "Melanistic" Boas I have seen.

[Randy_T.]

thanks for the post jeff, would you happen to have any pics of your darker boas to share? thanks Randy T.

[Red]

I have seen a couple that are really nice that jeff has... Just quit possibley the most black I have seen on a boa ever...
Eric aka...Red
P.s. Did this post get started because of my humble "?"

[Steve_M.]

I used to own a "melanistic" variable king it appeared pure black except when it was in strong light then you could see it did have a pattern what about that?

[Jonathan_Brady]

hmm, dunno... too many variables... :P :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/


;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[SnakePool]

The boas I have seen posted as melanistic look like mexican boas. Mexican boas seem to really darken up as they age, more so than columbian. If a boa was truly melanistic then it would show the trait as a neonate.

[surfimp]

If a boa was truly melanistic then it would show the trait as a neonate.

I agree with that, and would like to take it further...unless the trait can be passed on genetically to the offspring of the melanistic boa, then the importance of it being dark or truly melanistic (by the "pure black" rule) is diminished, at least as far as I understand the boa breeding business.

[Chris_Gillam]

Here is a photo of my "melanistic" boa. she is just over 10ft long.

[boxingboa]

I agree I am sick of fake melanistic being sold.I like light boas so I would pay 100.00 for a some what melanistic

[Amphiarus13]

thats definetly not melanistic buddy.

[Jeepgirl]

EH!! I am new here, and just picked up my new 5 ft don't know what the heck kind of Boa today so that is why I am here trying to find out what kind it is, so if someone could help me out that would be great. It looks just like the in the picture on this page and has like a pinkish salmon coloured belly, anyone know what kind this is????
HELP

[ratman]

You would have to post a pic. :'(

[djg79]

Is that boa shedding in that pick? It looks like it. Anyways, that boa is not melanistic. It would have to be totally black for that term to apply.

[mister]

Does anyone have a picture of a melanistic boa? I wonder what would happen if you breed a melanistic boa to a leucistic boa?

[Chris13160]

I had three boas all three darker than the one show on your picture about 10 years ago. They also had a totally black belly. I still can kill myself for selling them. I will try to see if I still have a picture from them.

Regards,
Chris van Kalken

[goofykid87]

bout as melanistic as i am... cwm13.gif

[pur_ange]

ok guys, this may sound cwm25.gif wrong or uneducated but my question in this is

If you were going to create a melanistic boa wouldn't you start with an Argentine? As they seem to be the blackest to me. Or are you referring strictly to columbian boas?

Am I understanding this correctly?

[PauLB]

That boa in that pic looks to me like a mexican boa an older one Im also tired of people miss labling animals some I would like to respond and tell them but Im not that way I rescued a female mexican boa about 8 months ago my friend who owns a pet store took it from a parent whos kid let it get burned on a heat lamp she looked similar she was like 5 foot but big I lost her last month to internal bleeding I was bummed because I wanted to breed her to one of my darker columbian males I had as to breeding an Argentine boa to a bci look around see what others that have done this get the ones Ive seen look like a light phase argentine oh well Im rambling again lol

[BoaLover2]

don't be so down in the dumps. i have a mexican boa (male) that i am going to breed and your more than welcome to a few. but you'll have to wait a while and i mean a while the darker one (i know its not melanistic

[Biophiliacs]

I finally got this Peruvian male from my buddy's colection. He is still recovering from a nostral rub, but is in otherwise good condition. He is offspring from two wc hatchlings purchased from Glades Herp around 96'. For the first two years of his life, had the text-book slate grey/blue peruvian background. Year three.. a massive amount of black production. I guesss I wouldn't call him melanistic, since he didn't start out black... but he sure GOT black.
Thanks-
Matt Schuabrth

[RedArgentine]

What do we do know that there is a BLACK boa. Okay it is a super motley, but still BLACK!

[Boamatic]

Yeah, but is it all black with no pattern what so ever? I would assume no it isn't.

[beastie]

http://www.theboaforum.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=chatter;action=display;num=1094109416;start=0


this is what he's talking about... try not to assume too much! ;D (just kidding!)



bc

[RedArgentine]

Oh, how it is!

[BobBoa]

I do not know what this snake is, where it came from, or what it reproduces....but I would like to find a female as dark as he and see what happens.

[BobBoa]

He is 8'5" and 27 lbs.

I've only had him for 2 months.

If you were going to create a melanistic boa wouldn't you start with an Argentine?  As they seem to be the blackest to me.  Or are you referring strictly to columbian boas?



I think you make a good point. I've never understood why most if not all Argentine breeders select for lightness and contrast. A light BCO looks like an average Columbian with a slightly more connected pattern. I believe a melanistic boa could be created using Argentines, but someone would actually have to select for it. Maybe someone is? It just goes so against the grain. Everyone selects for clean, lightness, color, pattern.

I've actually been trying to find the darkest Argentines I can, but as the years go by, they keep getting lighter not darker..

[gero]

not melanistic, not anerytristic, not motley, not leopard
- but pretty black!

What do you think?

[BobBoa]

Very nice and very black!!!

[bcibci]

Gero that is a fantastic black boa! best i have seen.
Here is a pic of the darkest boa in my collection, certainly not melanistic but nice!

[boidae]

~~~~o i am new here .The blackest boa i have ever seen was the patternless black at boa republick v2.I think a verry nice animal.I also agree that the mexica get darker the older they get the same goos for the honduran inland.

[nickstone]

All of the boas that I own from mexico or central america are almost all black and they continue to get blacker with age. I dont understand who would think this was a melanistic morph and hopefully nobody will ever pay 10,000 for one. I might have paid 50 bucks for mine.