Emerald tree boas: Green and invisible

One by one we have found and photographed over 130 species of herps on Madre Selva Biological Preserve. The Preserve is located on the banks of Peru’s Rio Orosa, a few dozen miles upriver from its confluence with the mighty Rio Amazonas.

But there is one species, a hallmark of Amazonian reptiles, that continues to elude our wandering gazes. This is the Basin form of the Emerald Tree Boa, Corallus batesi.

We are elated when this magnificent snake is found one river up or down Amazon from the preserve and we then renew our efforts to find it. The intensive searches, by day, by night, in fair weather and foul, have probably led to our finding of more than a dozen other elusive species, and for this we are grateful. But it would be so very nice to be able to add an emerald to the ever-burgeoning list.

During January of 2014 (the normally rainy Amazon summer—it’s in the southern hemisphere) we will be trying again. Wish us luck. Or come on down and join us!

More photos under the jump...

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.