FaunaClassifieds - View Single Post - Giant questions / musings ...
View Single Post
Old 02-12-2005, 04:35 AM   #30
robin d.
ok im going to throw some thoughts out and i will do my best to explain... i do not know all the spec for sub species of leopard geckos but i know allot about boas so let me put some thoughts up here and while i am talking of boas think of them as maybe leos
here goes
the largest range of boas are boa constrictor impetetor... they stretch from northern mexico.. just that side of the US border as far down as colombia maybe farther. the more norther BCI like the tarhumara boas are a true dwarf race of bci they grow slower, breed smaller (4 feet) and have smaller clutches. the neonates are much smaller than your south american bci babies and south american bccvery similar to the sonoran desert boas same northerm region of mexico. go down into central america and the mainland boas get larger but not huge (anywhere from 5 to 8 feet) island form though also bci in the central america area tend to be much smaller (5 feet) than their mainland counter parts. however these insular boas in captivity can attain lengths of for instance hog islands, 7 feet (clutches max at about 16)... once you get into south america the bci can attain lengths of ten feet (i have heard longer but i dont know, i have never seen a bci that large)... the south american bci can have HUGE clutches can be in the 20+ very easily.
ok now then we get to boa constrictor constrictor... which generally attain length MUCH longer than the BCI .... 10-12 feet is not uncommon and i believe one of the zoo's had a 15 foot surinam boa BCC... but they do not have the large size clutches of the south american bci. BCC and BCO (boa constrictor occidentalis) are the big boys of the boa constrictors. now while you have your norther mexico BCI which can breed at 4 feet and do not get too much larger than five feet and then you have the south american bci which grow relatively large and girthy and throw HUGE clutches and finally the BCC (peru,guyana and surinam) whom are the big boys yet have smaller clutches than the southern american bci (colombia)... now take all this into consideration........
all of these animals have adapted to there environments, of course... they breed and reproduce and thrive (in most areas) but in the case of boas they are not mutants but have adapted of the environment in which they live (some even adapting mimi populations which make them unique[physical appearance and even length], to other in the same group)
but one thing with all of these share is the same life span if kept in the correct environments... having all their needs met (captives) ect.the only difference in the long term survival(wild animals) is animals that prey on them and of course habitat distruction and human populations.... so lets say the giant is a sub specific leo... it adapted to its environment and i honestly doubt, if that the giant is from a sub specific line.. it is nothing more than a large leo that has the same life span as just about most of the other leos.
i hope this made sense
just some thoughts and ramblings