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Northern three-lined boa

Lichanura orcutti · Snakes · Reptiles

Northern three-lined boa (Lichanura orcutti): Cream to light pink skin with three distinct stripes from head to tail, usually black but sometimes lighter brown (NPS Organ Pipe). Relatively heavy-bodied, 15-36 in (38-90 cm), with a blunt tail tip (NPS Organ Pipe). This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Lichanura orcutti
Family
Boidae
In North America
Native
Range
San Diego County, California, along the coastal Peninsular Ranges, north into the Mohave Desert and east in the Sonoran Desert of California and western Arizona (north of the Gila River), plus the Newberry Mountains in southern Nevada (NatureServe).
Biology

How to identify it

Cream to light pink skin with three distinct stripes from head to tail, usually black but sometimes lighter brown (NPS Organ Pipe). [1][2]

Relatively heavy-bodied, 15-36 in (38-90 cm), with a blunt tail tip (NPS Organ Pipe). [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Desert, arid scrub, brushland, sandy plains, rocky slopes and chaparral foothills, particularly near springs, streams and canyon floors, though not dependent on permanent water; mainly terrestrial, sometimes climbs shrubs (NatureServe). [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Spends most time in rocky crevices or abandoned burrows, emerging at night to hunt and warm itself; usually most active at night (NPS Organ Pipe; NatureServe). [1][2]

Constricts small mammals and birds; docile, but releases musk from glands when threatened (NPS Organ Pipe; NatureServe). [1][2]

Inactive in cold temperatures and extreme heat; live-bearing (NatureServe). [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

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

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.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

San Diego County, California, along the coastal Peninsular Ranges, north into the Mohave Desert and east in the Sonoran Desert of California and western Arizona (north of the Gila River), plus the Newberry Mountains in southern Nevada (NatureServe).

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. National Park Service · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Park Service