Rubber Boa (Charina bottae) 



Description: The Rubber Boa looks and feels like rubber, hence its name. It is a small snake 

 (14-33" length), stout, and uniformly-colored either brown or green on the dorsal side. The 

 ventral surface is cream to tan in color. The scales are small and smooth, except for those on 

 the head which are enlarged. The tail is short and blunt and the eyes are very small. It is a 

 very slow moving snake which can easily be caught if detected. 



Young: Rubber Boas are bom alive and young are more tan (or even pinkish) than the adults 

 on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces. 



Similar species: The Racer is much quicker and more active, has larger eyes, and a thin, tapered 

 (not blunt) tail. 



Habitat and Habits: The Rubber Boa is a secretive, slow-moving, docile snake, usually found 

 under logs and rocks in either moist or dry forest habitats, but rarely in marsh or bog 

 situations. Denning locations are typically in areas with fractured rock; recent radio- 

 telemetry data indicates it only moves short distances (< 2 km) from its den (Peterson pers. 

 comm). It is most commonly found in canyons with a well developed riparian area in the 

 bottom and fractured rock on sunny, south-facing slopes above. Occasionally this snake is 

 seen sunning itself on a road, trail, or open area, but it is primarily nocturnal. Feeding is 

 primarily on small mice, but also on shrews, salamanders, snakes and lizards. Two to eight 

 young are bom alive in late summer or early fall. 



Status: Sightings of Rubber Boas are infrequent, but they are widely distributed and probably 

 common throughout westem Montana. They were not found during this survey, nor are there 

 historic records of their presence in the vicinity of the study area. However, they probably do 

 occur throughout the Rocky Mountain Front at low to mid-elevations. They should be 

 watched for on the study area; any sightings should be documented. Of particular interest 

 would be any documentation of any deiuiing sites located. 



Montana Natural Heritage Program Rank: G5 S4. 



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