Rosy Boa

The Rosy Boa is found in the southwestern United States in the states of California and Arizona, and northwestern Mexico in the states of Baja California and Sonora.Rosy boas spend most of their lives concealed beneath rocks and in crevices. In fact they are so often associated with rocks that some have taken to calling them rock boas. Rosy Boas can be active at any hour of the day but during hotter weather they are primarily nocturnal. These snakes forage mainly for small mammals but have occasionally been known to take other prey items such as birds, and lizards.The epithet trivirgata refers to the distinct three stripes that are characteristic of the species. The Rosy Boa is considered to be the only species within the genus Lichanura, but one researcher has placed it in the genus Charina with the Rubber Boa. Newer phylogenetic research supports the original arrangement but herpetologists are still not unified on Rosy Boa taxonomy. The subspecific designations are just as uncertain with many sources not accepting "arizonae" or "saslowi"