Motley (Colombian) Boa Constrictors
Instead of the usual boa saddles, a Colombian Motley has a connected back pattern, striped sides, and a belly with little or no speckling. This clean look stays for life. The colour of the animal ranges from a bright grey pattern to deep black. The tail is usually striped or square-tail rather than saddled.
- Super Motley (Colombian) — linked to a metabolic condition - loss of muscle tone, poor digestion and a heavily shortened life
- Motley (Colombian) (aka Colombian Motley) — do not pair with another Motley. Offspring of that pairing carry a hereditary defect and cannot be sold here.
About the Motley (Colombian) gene
The Motley (Colombian) is a pattern gene for the boa constrictor. It cleans the belly and removes the diamonds from the flanks while pulling the back pattern into a design that is clean and connected. For the look it provides on its own or as a base for pattern combos like Albino Motley and Eclipse, keepers buy it.
Appearance
Instead of splitting into separate saddles, the dorsal pattern of a Colombian Motley is connected. Where a normal boa has diamonds and squares, this snake often shows circles or a stripe running down the back. On the flanks, the usual diamonds are mostly replaced by lateral striping. The snake keeps its clean pattern for its whole life with clear colour contours. The colour ranges from deep black to a bright grey pattern. There is often none, or very little, speckling on the belly. The tail is usually striped or square-tail rather than saddled like a normal boa's. The Super Motley is a patternless boa.
Genetics
The Motley (Colombian) gene is incomplete dominant. A single copy results in a visual Motley, while two copies produce the Super Motley, which has a different look. Many sellers still use the term "co-dom", which is an older and looser label for the same thing. Because one copy always shows, there is no het to track, and the family has two forms: Motley (Colombian) and Super Motley (Colombian). The Colombian Motley sits in a complex with Keltic and Hypo. A boa with both Motley and Keltic is called Smoke. Separate genes are listed as Central American and Argentine Motleys. Named combos include Albino Motley, Motley Besque (Motley with Arabesque), and Eclipse (Motley with Leopard). In 1994, the founding animal was imported from Colombia as a baby. Jeremy Stone first produced the gene in the United States.
Known issues
The issue sits with the two-copy Super Motley (Colombian), not the single-copy Motley. The Super Motley is linked to a metabolic condition - loss of muscle tone, poor digestion and a heavily shortened life. Super Motley babies look healthy at birth but lose muscle tone, and very few survive past two years of age. Severity varies between individuals - please research the morph and ask the seller about this specific animal before buying. Because the Super Motley is on the REPTA Deleterious Gene Policy list, BaskMarket withdraws and refuses any listing carrying it, and the International Herpetological Society bans it from sale at its events. To avoid making one, do not pair a Motley with another Motley, and read the breeding guidance on the listing before you plan a pairing. Smoke is a fatal combination too, so know what is in a Keltic's lines before you put it with a Motley.