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Amazon tree boa
Corallus hortulana
The Amazon tree boa is highly variable in color and strictly arboreal. Requires a 90x60x120 cm vertical setup featuring dense horizontal perching branches, excellent ventilation paired with high humidity, and a diet of birds or mice.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Boidae
Subfamily:Boinae
Genus:Corallus
Species:Corallus hortulana
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 90 %
Day temperature
29 - 31 °C
Ambient temperature
28 °C
Night temperature
21 - 23 °C
Basking spot
32 - 33 °C
Adult size
127.38 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 250 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Corallus hortulana, commonly known as the Amazon tree boa, is native to the warm and humid tropical rainforests of South America. Its natural range is vast and covers much of the Amazon basin, including Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and the Guianas. It inhabits primary and secondary rainforests, flooded forests (varzeas), swamps, and even degraded woodlands or rural gardens. It has strictly arboreal habits, spending its entire life in tree canopies, shrubs, and vines.
Taxonomy and Genetics: It belongs to the class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Boidae, and genus Corallus. This species is of exceptional interest for the study of genetic polymorphism related to body coloration. Within the same local population, specimens with completely different colors and patterns can be found, unrelated to age or sex, which hobbyists divide into the 'garden' phase (grey or brown colors) and colored phases (yellow, red, orange).
Behavior and Habits: It is active mainly during the night, while during the day it rests compactly coiled on bifurcated branches or among dense foliage. It has a notoriously defensive and reactive temperament: if disturbed or handled, it tends to strike quickly and bite without hesitation. Its jaws are equipped with long, curved anterior teeth, which evolved to penetrate bird feathers, making its bite painful.
Morphology: It exhibits an extremely slender and elongated body, allowing it to move agilely among thin branches by distributing its weight. Adults reach a length between 1.5 and 2.0 meters (5 to 6.5 feet). The head is very large, triangular-heart shaped, and distinct from the thin neck. The eyes are large and protruding, with vertical pupils and silvery irises. Along the lips, it has deep heat-sensing pits used to hunt warm-blooded prey in the dark.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Being an arboreal species, it requires a vertically oriented terrarium, with minimum dimensions of 90x60x120 cm (approx. 3x2x4 feet) for an adult specimen. The setup must include a dense network of branches positioned horizontally at various heights and plants (live or artificial) to provide visual cover that reduces stress. The substrate must be moisture-retaining, such as cypress mulch, coconut fiber, or peat moss.
Lighting and Heating: Requires a vertical thermal gradient controlled by thermostats. The temperature in the upper part (warm zone) must be maintained at 29-31°C (84°F - 88°F), with a local basking spot of 32-33°C (90°F - 91°F) obtained via ceramic heaters or protected radiant panels. The lower part should be cool, around 24-26°C (75°F - 79°F). At night, a general drop to 21-23°C (70°F - 73°F) is recommended. Low-output UVB lamps (5%) support natural cycles.
Humidity and Hydration: Humidity must be kept high, between 70% and 80%, misting the terrarium once or twice daily with lukewarm water. This species rarely drinks from a water bowl on the bottom; it prefers to collect water droplets that deposit on leaves or its own coils during misting. It is still essential to place a bowl of fresh water on the bottom to contribute to humidity.
Feeding and Supplementation: In nature, it feeds on birds, bats, and small arboreal mammals. In captivity, it accepts rats or mice proportioned to its body size. Juveniles should be fed every 10 days, while for adults a meal every 14-21 days is sufficient. Being a species with a slow metabolism and prone to obesity, it must not be overfed. No supplements are required if prey is of high quality.
Compatibility: It is a strictly solitary animal. It must be housed individually in separate terrarims. Housing multiple individuals in the same enclosure causes severe stress and can lead to aggressive fights, serious injuries, and risks of cannibalism, especially during feeding.
Health and Common Diseases: Prone to respiratory infections (pneumonia) if the temperature drops below recommended levels or in the presence of cold, humid stagnant air. Another common issue is dehydration if misting is inadequate. Shedding problems (retained shed) indicate low humidity. Mouth injuries (infectious stomatitis) can result from startled strikes against the glass.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Corallus hortulana, commonly known as the Amazon tree boa, is native to the warm and humid tropical rainforests of South America. Its natural range is vast and covers much of the Amazon basin, including Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and the Guianas. It inhabits primary and secondary rainforests, flooded forests (varzeas), swamps, and even degraded woodlands or rural gardens. It has strictly arboreal habits, spending its entire life in tree canopies, shrubs, and vines.
Origin
Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 127.38 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 127.38 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 127.38 cm for this species, recorded as total length (TL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
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Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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