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Rubber Boa

(Charina bottae)

Identification: Upper scales small and smooth (unkeeled), olive green or brown in adult; large scales on top of head; tail blunt, shaped almost like head; pupil vertically elongate (like a cat’s); no long scales on throat; maximum size about 83 cm (33 inches) total length.  

Male: Usually a spur near each side of vent (spur smaller, or absent, in female).  

Juvenile: Upper side pinkish to tan.

Possible Colorado Distribution: Reported without adequate documentation from Dinosaur National Monument, Moffat County, northwestern Colorado. Occurs in the Uinta Mountains in northeastern Utah.    

Habitat: Often in forest openings and meadows associated with stream courses in hills and mountains. Secretive, active on the ground but may climb into vegetation; often takes shelter in burrows or under rock or logs.  

Life History: Females give birth to their young, likely in late August or September in this region. This snake is a contrictor that feeds mainly on small mammals; it sometimes eats reptiles, birds, and invertebrates.