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Northern Rubber Boa
Scientific Name:
Charina bottae
Type:
Reptile
Habitat:
Rubber boas can be found in grassland, woodland, and forest habitats
Range:
Northern rubber boas inhabit much of the Western United States and range into southern British Columbia
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Northern rubber boas are comparatively small snakes, averaging only 21 to 26 inches in length. They are two-toned with a uniform tan or olive-brown on their upper side (dorsal side) and a yellow or cream underside (lateral side). These boas are smooth and shiny, with very small eyes and a blunt tail.
Fast Facts:
These snakes are nocturnal and prefer colder temperatures than most snakes.
They are the smallest members of the boa family (Boidae).
Rubber boas form a defensive ball if threatened, pulling covering their head and exposing their tail as a decoy. The tip of their tails are stubby and easily confused for a head.
They generally live up to 40 or 50 years in the wild.
The genus name Charina means graceful in ancient Greek.
The largest threat to Northern rubber boas is over-collection for the pet trade, despite that it is illegal to sell wild-caught boas.
Sources:
Burke Museum. “Northern Rubber Boa”, 2020 https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/biology/herpetology/amphibians-reptiles-washington/northern-rubber-boa
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. “Rubber Boa”, 2014 https://www.fws.gov/nwrs/threecolumn.aspx?id=2147549974
Hammerson, G.A. “Charina bottae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species”, 2007 http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T62228A12582270.en.
California Herps. “Northern Rubber Boa - Charina bottae”, 2020. http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/c.bottae.html
Image: Tony Iwane, https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonysfotos/13685330974/, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Aramee Diethelm (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)