Jungle

What Jungle looks like

Heterozygous Jungle. Single copy of the Jungle allele. Aberrant (irregular, distorted) saddle pattern. Saddles are misaligned, fused, split, or distorted from the normal bilateral symmetry. Expression varies widely. Some individuals are mildly aberrant, others are heavily broken. No two Jungle boas are patterned identically.

The Jungle locus is an incomplete dominant trait that produces aberrant (irregular, distorted) patterning in Boa constrictor. Three phenotypes exist based on zygosity. Wild type (non-Jungle) has the normal, bilaterally symmetrical boa saddle pattern. Heterozygous Jungle animals display aberrant patterning: the normally regular saddle pattern becomes irregular, with misaligned, fused, split, or distorted saddles. The degree of aberrancy varies between individuals. Some Jungle boas are mildly aberrant while others have dramatically broken or "busy" patterns. Homozygous Super Jungle animals show even more extreme pattern aberrancy, often approaching a nearly patternless or heavily fragmented appearance. Jungle is one of the most widely recognized and popular pattern morphs in boa constrictors and is an important component of several combo morphs. Because Jungle is an aberrant morph, no two Jungle boas are patterned identically.

How to identify it: Jungle (J): Irregular, aberrant saddle pattern. Look for misaligned saddles that do not match cleanly across the dorsal midline, fused adjacent saddles, split saddles, "broken" saddle edges, or asymmetric lateral pattern. Expression varies widely. Some Jungles are mildly aberrant with one or two irregularities, while others are heavily broken throughout. Super Jungle (J/J): Dramatically aberrant pattern with extensive saddle fusion, splitting, and distortion. Can appear nearly patternless or heavily fragmented. Pattern aberrancy is pronounced and unmistakable. Jungle boas from certain lineages are known for more consistent and striking aberrancy.

How Jungle is inherited

Jungle follows a incomplete dominant inheritance pattern, carried on the Jungle allele (locus Jungle).

Combo morphs with Jungle

• Jungle Blood

  Jungle Blood combines the Jungle aberrant pattern trait with the Blood color-intensification trait. The result is an animal with both aberrant, irregular saddle patterning (from Jungle) and intensified, saturated red and orange coloration (from Blood). The combination produces highly individualized animals. Since no two Jungle animals are patterned identically and Blood intensifies the coloration, each Jungle Blood is unique. This is one of the most visually striking two-gene combinations in the boa hobby.