Rubber boa
Coastal rubber boa | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Boidae |
Genus: | Charina |
Species: | C. bottae
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Binomial name | |
Charina bottae (Blainville, 1835)
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Synonyms[3][4] | |
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.[5]
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.[6]
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,[7] around Pemberton,[8] Williams Lake,[7] and Radium Hot Springs.[9]
Habitat
Rubber boas have been known to inhabit a wide variety of habitat types from
Behavior
Characteristics of rubber boas' behavior also set them apart from other snakes. Rubber boas are considered one of the most docile of the boa species and are often used to help people overcome their fear of snakes.
Hunting
Rubber boas feed primarily on young
Predation
Rubber boas can be preyed upon by almost any reasonably sized predator in their habitat. When threatened, rubber boas curl into a ball around their head, and expose their tail to mimic their head. While this is thought to be a primary defense technique against predators, it is not effective against many predators (raptors, coyotes, raccoons, cats, etc.). The best defense of rubber boas is their secretive nature.
Reproduction
Rubber boas are
References
- . Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ "Charina bottae ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Boulenger GA (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Boidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (Charina bottæ, pp. 130-131).
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Charina bottae, p. 33).
- PMID 11161758.
- ^ a b "Reptiles of BC: - Rubber Boa". www.bcreptiles.ca.
- ^ "Still life with Sea to Sky reptiles". Pique Newsmagazine.
- ^ "Radium Hot Springs' Remarkable Rubber Boa: A Species of Special Concern". Parks Canada Agency. October 4, 2004. Archived from the original on February 23, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ "All About The Rubber Boa Charina bottae, Natural History (and other info) of the Rubber Boa". All About The Rubber Boa Charina bottae. October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
- ^ "Northern Rubber Boa - Montana Field Guide".
- ^ "Northern Rubber Boa".
- ^ "Northern Rubber Boa - Charina bottae".
- ^ "Rubber Boa - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)".
- ^ "California Reptiles and Amphibians, Northern Rubber Boa". California Reptiles & Amphibians. February 23, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
Sources
- Hoyer RF (1974). "Description of a rubber boa (Charina bottae) population from western Oregon". Herpetologica 30: 275–283.
- Hoyer RF, Stewart GR (2000). "Biology of the rubber boa (Charina bottae), with emphasis on C. b. umbratica. Part I: Capture, size, sexual dimorphism, and reproduction". Journal of Herpetology 34: 248–354.
- Hoyer RF, Stewart GR (2000). "Biology of the rubber boa (Charina bottae), with emphasis on C. b. umbratica. Part II: Diet, antagonists, and predators". Journal of Herpetology 34: 354–360.
- Hoyer R (2011). All About the Rubber Boa.
- Klauber LM (1943). "The subspecies of the rubber boa, Charina ". Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 10: 83–90.
- Nussbaum R, Hoyer RF (1974). "Geographic variation and the validity of subspecies in the rubber boa, Charina bottae ". Northwest Science 48: 219–229.
- Rodrigues-Robles JA et al. (2001). "Mitochondrial DNA based phylogeography of North American rubber boas, Charina bottae ". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 8 (2): 227–237.
- Stebbins RC (1955). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
External links
- Data related to Charina bottae at Wikispecies
- Media related to Charina bottae at Wikimedia Commons
- Charina bottae - Northern Rubber Boa Californiaherps.com, A Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of California.
- Rubber Boa (Charina bottae). Reptiles of British Columbia.