Emerald Tree Boa Organization - Corallus caninus - Distribution

Distribution

Emerald Tree Boas are thought to have one of the widest areas of distribution of all the boid species. Covering the greatest majority of the North Central South America, this vast area, although large in mass, is minute in its ecological variation. This at once makes this species, wide-ranging but incredibly narrow in tolerances. Commonly referred to as "The Amazon Basin" this region is said to be home to over 90% of the plant and animal species found on Earth today. Covering a vast portion of equatorial South America, the Amazonian Rainforest is a sanctuary of sorts for many as yet un-described species. Within this vast area the Emerald Tree Boa has carved out its niche, and thrived for millions of years.
Distribution of the species can be directly correlated to the meandering nature of the waterways making their way down to the second largest volume of fresh water on earth, the Amazon River. As curious as it may seem that the most arboreal of all boids species should be so inexorably tied to water, none the less, the fact remains that few accounts of sightings or collections have been recorded any distance from a watercourse. One may assume the lack of such sightings to be due primarily to the nature of travel in the region, however, it is more likely that the animals upon which the Emerald preys are most often themselves married to the waterways.
Found in its most dense populations just south of the Equatorial Ridge in the midst of the Amazon Basin, its range begins in NE Peru and SE Columbia. Extending as far north as southern Venezuela and then east through southern Guyana, SC Suriname and French Guiana to the coast. Information on distribution within Brazil south of the Amazon River is sketchy at best. Ditmars reports collections deep within the state of Amazonas, and east into Para. Whether or not animals will ever be located further south in the higher elevations of Mato Grosso is anyone's guess. For now, it can be assumed that the species southern most range is within 600 miles of the Equator. To my knowledge, no reports of collections or sightings exist south of this latitude to date.

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