Hypo

Revelation of this color form of Boa constrictor was quiet fortuitous. American breeder Rich Ihle registered that every litter is near one half of neonates from one female originally from Panama the same coloration as mother, an interesting hypomelanistic pattern. (Hypo = lack, melanin = black pigment). In the pattern of the mother and neonates was majority of orange tints concentrating mainly at tail part of Boa constrictor body. In contrast to other Boa constrictor forms, tail saddles are not bordered by black color, but with yellow up to white colored border. For “salmon” tint Rich began to call these animals simple Salmon hypo.

Name salmon came into common expression for hypo Boas, but they are existing bloodlines with no origin from Rich Ihle line. Natural hypos are found in Panama and nearby, e.g. Boa constrictor sabogae is also a natural hypo form as e.g. Hogg Island is. Important on the line from Rich is the co-dominant genetics.

Hypo Boa constrictors from Rich do themselves have a tendency to reduce saddle pattern in next generations. They are found also pattern aberrations, also stripped tails are found.

The founder of this mutation, Rich Ihle, divides the Boa constrictor salmon neonates just after birth into several classes following degree of pattern aberration and coloration. In litter, that we recorded by our animals, we followed the trend of the founder. By next breeding of salmon we can say, that aberration and coloring go on next generation and trends are stronger (e.g. more aberration in pattern, more intensive orange tints (even lemon bordering of tail saddles). In accordance with this dividing goes the price dividing.


Interesting things are happening in second generation of salmon. When we take a baby from mating salmon x salmon (possible SuperSalmon), we get it into adult age and we breed it with “normal” partner, then if all neonates are salmons, we got a bingo and we really have SuperSalmon exemplar. Be careful please, not many breeders can sell you 100% SuperSalmon. And baby coming from salmon x salmon offspring is that NOT!!

Salmons stand in grounds of many “modern” color forms of Boa constrictor as Sunglows, Ghosts and other are. Combined with Jungle Boa constrictor they create wide range of aberrations and they can be very nice. But it is fair to say, that the way of breeding color boas from non-100%-proven genetic material is also a way of big ration of genetic waste. Then the genetically non-100%-specific Boas could mean for beginners or for those, who do not want to invest a big money into a genetic 100% clear animal, an easy way to get a lucky chance and win an exemplars, which are 100% clear.