rOsY bOa

ROSY BOA

The Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) is a snake of the Boidae family, one of only two members of that family native to the United States. The other is the Rubber Boa (C. bottae). Rosy Boas are native to the American Southwest, and Baja and Sonora Mexico. These small attractive snakes attain a length of 39 in (1 m) (though some species from the coast of California reach 4 feet) and a large adult has a body width about the diameter of a golf ball. Coloration in Rosy Boas is highly variable. The Common named was derived from the Rosy or Salmon coloration that is common on the belly of Rosy Boas originating from Coastal southern California and Baja Mexico. Most Boas do not have this ventral coloration but instead have a series of dark to orange spots on a light colored background.
Almost all Rosy Boas have at least some trace of three longitudinal stripes, one down the center of the back, and two on the lower sides. The appearance of these stripes varies widely from extremely straight and having high contrast with the interspaces to extremely broken with almost no contrast with the interspaces. Stripe colors can be orange, maroon, rust, brown, or black. The interspaces range from shades of light to dark gray, yellow, or tan.