Northern Rubber Boa

The rubber boa (Charina bottae) is a species of snake in the family Boidae and is native to western North America. It is sometimes known as the coastal rubber boa or the northern rubber boa and is not to be confused with the southern rubber boa (Charina umbratica).

Taxonomy

Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville described the rubber boa in 1835. The generic name Charina is from the Ancient Greek "graceful" or "delightful", and the specific name bottae honors Dr. Paolo E. Botta, an Italian ship's surgeon, explorer, and naturalist.

The family Boidae consists of the nonvenomous snakes commonly called boas and consists of 43 species. The genus Charina consists of two species, both of which are found in North America. There is debate on whether the southern rubber boa, a population found in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles in California, should be a separate species or a subspecies (as Charina bottae umbratica). A study published in 2001 concluded there is enough evidence to indicate that the proposed independent species, Charina umbratica, is a separate species based on its geologically separate genetic nature and morphological differences.

Description

Rubber boas are one of the smaller boa species, adults can be anywhere from 38 to 84 cm (1.25 to 2.76 ft) long; newborns are typically 19 to 23 cm (7.5 to 9.1 in) long. The common name is derived from their skin which is often loose and wrinkled and consists of small scales that are smooth and shiny. These characteristics give the snakes a rubber-like look and texture. Colors are typically tan to dark brown with a lighter ventral surface but sometimes olive-green, yellow, or orange. Newborns often appear pink and slightly transparent but darken with age. Rubber boas have small eyes with vertically elliptical pupils and short blunt heads that are no wider than the body. One of the most identifiable characteristics of rubber boas is their short blunt tails that closely resemble the shape of their head. Rubber boas appear quite different visually than any other species that share the same range (except maybe for the southern rubber boa) and thus are usually easy to identify.

Distribution

Rubber boas are the most northerly of all boa species. The distribution of rubber boas covers a large portion of the western United States, stretching from the Pacific Coast east to western Utah and Montana, as far south as central California, and as far north as southern British Columbia in Canada. There have also been rare sightings in Colorado and Alberta in addition to the states/provinces that they are known to thrive in: California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and extending to its northernmost range in British Columbia, around Pemberton, Williams Lake, and Radium Hot Springs.

Habitat