Unusual Creatures of Guyana
The Emerald Tree Boa - Corallus caninus
Kaieteur News
January 21, 2007
There are many creatures that are unusual to man but wander freely in areas less inhabited by man. Guyana is home to many such animals, insects, birds and reptiles.
The Emerald Tree Boa is one such unusual creature. It can be found in the Acaria Mountains in the Konashen District, which has been declared a conservation area.
This 600,000 hectare area which is home to this creature is located in the southernmost region of Guyana and is mainly occupied by the Wai-Wais.
While this unusual boa could be found here in Guyana it can also be found in rainforests throughout much of the Amazon Basin .
The intriguing reptile has an attractive appearance with the adults sporting an emerald green colour with more or less white triangular spots on either side of its vertebral column. However the younger or juvenile reptiles are red, but begin to change into a brilliant green colour at about six months of age.
Their striking colour comes from two layers of cells, one that reflects yellow and a second underneath that reflects blue. These boas reach 2.2 m (7.25 ft) long and 5 cm (2.2 in) in diameter. Some scientists have even observed that the deeper one goes into the Amazon, the bigger the reptiles are there.
Like most boas, the emerald boa has spurs along either side of the cloaca (a common cavity for the release of digestive and urogenital products in a reptile), which is a primitive feature among snakes as is their excellent ability to camouflage their appearance, often draping across the branches of trees.
These reptiles usually inhabit wet, lowland rainforests but can also be found in the forest's canopy. A perfect resting place for the emerald boa is a horizontal branch overhanging water.
The snake would usually coil around the branch, resting its head in the centre of its coils.
Its diet consists mainly of small mammals and birds and like most boas, kills its prey through constriction.
The reptile's lips are lined with extra heat receptors that the boa uses to track prey and with sensing odours and chemicals complemented by a fork tongue, it can ambush its target from above.
They are, however, prey to large birds.
These creatures are however mostly active during twilight hours, leading scientists to conclude that they are nocturnal animals.
But with its daring and exquisite appearance this reptile is highly prized as a pet and is considered an endangered species since there is a very high market for its export.
Before the inhabitants of the Konashen district had opted to have their lands conserved with the assistance of Conservation International and the Guyana Government some people within the Wai-Wais population were guilty of indulging in activities to trap and trade the endangered creature.
This practice has since been significantly reduced since the Wai-Wais embraced the idea to conserve.
Even the Wildlife Authority of Guyana, through the institution of creatures' convention, CITES, is tasked with imposing a limited quota for the reptile's export per year. Nonetheless, Emerald Boas, even though not so widespread, are still captured and are exported by illegal means.
However, the implementation of CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls.
All import, export, re-export and introduction from the list covered by the Convention has to be authorised through a licensing system. Each party to the Convention must designate one ore more Management Authority in charge of administering that licensing system and one or more Scientific Authority to advise them on the effect of trade and on the status of the species.