Leopard Boa Constrictors
A Leopard breaks a Sonoran boa's saddles into stripes, dashes and spots, with a heavily marked face and sometimes a gold head, and no two are the same. Babies can struggle to digest their meals, so check how a young Leopard has been feeding before you buy.
About the Leopard gene
The Leopard is a pattern gene found in Sonoran boa constrictor stock. Because it varies so much between animals, no two Leopards look alike, and this is most of the appeal. It breaks the saddles into stripes, dashes and spots. It is also a small boa.
Appearance
A Leopard has a layout of stripes and dashes along its back instead of ordinary saddles, which reminds one of a labyrinth Burmese python. Many mix both patterns from head to tail with the tail following the body's pattern, while some are fully striped and others are mostly spotted. The face is heavily marked with lines like a leopard's whiskers. A red chin or a gold head can be found on some. The belly is often speckled and runs from pink to red or orange. These are dark boas overall, and breeding females that are mature sit at around five feet, which is small for a boa constrictor.
Plenty are sold as visual hets, and these hets often look different from a normal Sonoran boa. Breeders disagree on why. Some put it down to the Sonoran locality carrying through the line, while others read the look as the gene showing through. The look will not reliably tell you a het either way.
Genetics
The Leopard is a recessive gene with no super form. The het forms are Het Leopard, 50% Het Leopard, 66% Het Leopard and Pos Het Leopard. It is in an allelic complex with Black and Onyx. Breeding it with Colombian Motley creates the Eclipse, while Central American Motley makes the Black Berry and Mandarin Belly makes the Supernova. Albino Leopards were first produced in 2008, and Hypo Leopard is also established. Hans Winner found the gene in Germany in a litter of normal-looking Sonoran boas. He proved it was recessive by breeding Leopards back to their siblings and parents.
Known issues
Leopard babies often have poor digestion. This issue is seen more often in visual Leopards than in hets. The problem might be part of the Sonoran stock instead of the gene itself. Ask the seller how well a young Leopard has been feeding and holding its meals down before you buy.