How to identify it
Usually 38-64 cm (range 35-84 cm); thick, smooth-scaled body with loose, wrinkled skin that looks and feels like rubber. [1][2]
Uniform brown to olive-green above and yellow to cream below; occasional dark spots or mottling (more often in northern populations). [1][2]
Small dark eyes with vertical pupils. [1][2]
Blunt, head-like tail tip with a bulb of bone, usually scarred; the snake curls up and presents the tail when threatened. [1][2]
Northern subspecies has sub-triangular frontal scales and 42 or more mid-dorsal scale rows; the southern subspecies has fewer. [1][2]
Where it lives
Moist coniferous forest, woodlands, forest clearings, meadows and grassy streamsides, generally not far from water, from sea level to about 3,050 m. [1][2]
How it behaves
Solitary, burrowing and slow-moving; mostly nocturnal or at dusk, but also active by day in mild cloudy weather, and sometimes basks. [1][2]
Active mostly March-November; docile, does not strike, and deters predators with the tail or a strong odour. [1][2]
Eats nestling mice, voles and shrews found in nests, and occasionally lizard or snake eggs; found under rotting logs, stumps, rocks and bark. [1][2]
Prehensile tail allows it to climb shrubs and small trees. [1][2]
Limited legal take
Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.
Where legal take is listed
- California — reptile take · 2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations (updated July 10, 2026), 14 CCR 5.05/5.60
- Nevada — reptile take · CR 24-15 2025 & 2026 Seasons & Limits for Noncommercial Collection of Live, Unprotected Reptiles & Amphibians
- Utah — reptile take · Reptile and amphibian species classification tables (R657-53), updated Apr. 22, 2026
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Southern British Columbia and Alberta south to west-central California, central Nevada and southern Utah; Pacific coast east to north-central Wyoming and western Montana. Distribution is patchy, especially at southern and eastern edges.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe
- BIOLOGICALRubber boa — Animal Diversity Web
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology