77 Years To Find A Boa
Moderator: Scott Waters
77 Years To Find A Boa
My Dad, 77 years old, found his first boa yesterday. He's not into snakes or anything like that, but knows how much I am. He sent me a text with a pic of a snake in his backyard. Being in Japan at the time, I couldn't do much. I asked him to get a better shot, but the snake was gone. Based on his description and the rather poor iPad photo, I'm guessing it to be a coastal rosy boa. My parents live in the hills of San Clemente about a mile from the beach. They live in a neighborhood with rather sparse, yet suitable habitat. As most of the area is occupied mainly by people in their 60's, I'm guessing it's not a kids escaped pet.
Description was a pale to slate grey, rather thick for its size (3ft), with a non descript pattern.
Do these coastal rosys go right to the coast? Any thoughts?
Lou
Description was a pale to slate grey, rather thick for its size (3ft), with a non descript pattern.
Do these coastal rosys go right to the coast? Any thoughts?
Lou
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
they can be found close to the ocean, i think carlsbad has been the closet local.
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
The pattern on it in the pic looks like a gopher snake.
- Chris_VE.
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
I disagree... It really does look like a rosy... Sen him a pic of a gopher and a rosy and ask which it was! I've got my money on a rosy!!
-Chris
-Chris
- Mike Waters
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Looks like it could be a white sided black rat. Escaped pet!
- Chris_VE.
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Escaped pet!? For a three foot rat... It would have to be a very pampered pet... I bet he's just on a strollMike Waters wrote:Looks like it could be a white sided black rat. Escaped pet!
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
He's seen gophers as well as kings and helleri with me before. He said it wasn't one of them. I asked him to google search, "coastal rosy boa". That's what he said it looked like. It was gone when he went back an hour later. Although he doesn't dislike snakes, he prefers to keep his distance from them. So I've gotta think boa. So, is a mile from the coast possible?
- Chris_VE.
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
As said earlier, Carlsbad boas are fairly close to the coast. I BELIEVE within 5 miles... (don't quote me on this. Never found one. Just heard a lot on em.) so a mile away? Sure! Why not. I've seen some snakes within a hundred feet of the ocean.
- MarcLinsalata
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Maybe you should crop out the meter in this photo to protect the locale - I think I know whos house this is...........
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Yeh, I thought that might give it away... Good catch!
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
I agree with Michael, Gopher snake.
-I
-I
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
If I hadnt talked to my Dad, and just based it on the picture, I'm not sure what I'd say it is. The front looks sorta "squarish", like a gopher. But the back looks smooth.
Just talked to my Mom, who also saw it. She said it was light grey in color, definitely not brown. She also looked it up on Google and says it had to be a boa. I wish they would have taken a better pic!!!!! Cant see the head or the tail!
Just talked to my Mom, who also saw it. She said it was light grey in color, definitely not brown. She also looked it up on Google and says it had to be a boa. I wish they would have taken a better pic!!!!! Cant see the head or the tail!
- Ross Padilla
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
I blew the picture up on my phone and that is a boa, guys. I'm pretty sure. The color is way off for a gopher. The body shape is just like a boa. There is a reflection of the overcast sky where its body is bending right where the fence touches the wall. You wouldn't see that on a gopher like you would a boa. And then the position its in, is very rosy boa like. Looks like a snake crawling really slow like a boa. The only part that is questionable to me is right where it meets the plant. That part makes the back stripe look wide and very defined and its darker, but I think that is due to blowing the picture up. When I look at the rest of the body, the side stripes and overall look, it has to be a boa. On top of it, boas will move during the day in April with overcast skys.
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Ross can you post a blown up picture?
BTW Gopher snakes crawl when its cloudy too..
Boas have been found under mile from the beach in several locations, besides carlsbad. But I don't know of ANY boa records for the laguna hills (just rumors). Thats why they dont show in the range maps for there.
Fundad
BTW Gopher snakes crawl when its cloudy too..
Boas have been found under mile from the beach in several locations, besides carlsbad. But I don't know of ANY boa records for the laguna hills (just rumors). Thats why they dont show in the range maps for there.
Fundad
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Billboard and Kent are the 'beach boa' fanatics... perhaps they will chime in, or you could pm them... I think they'd be very interested. A gopher that thick would be longer. jim
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
My first impression was Gopher Snake so I'll go with that crowd.
...have you actually observed this behavior?Fundad wrote:BTW Gopher snakes crawl when its cloudy too..
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
I get your point but in this case disagree Ross. Gophers do have gloss to the scales on the sides, even high up. To me the body looks to square for boa and more like gopher. The median stripe would be to wide for a coastal boa IMHO and there do seem to be blotches or some other irregularities in that. The striped looked is actually typical of annectens when seen at a distance or in poor light.Ross wrote:There is a reflection of the overcast sky where its body is bending right where the fence touches the wall. You wouldn't see that on a gopher like you would a boa
I believe that, given only the photograph this ID problem is fun but will never be conclusive ...the image is so on the edge. ...fun stuff!
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Sorry, I can't post a blown up picture right now, because im not at the computer yet. Yeah, I know gophers and so many other snakes will move during those conditions, so I should have left that out. The picture posted monket doesnt look as good as it does on my phone. That reflection is just too good for a gopher and that is the shape of a small boa. But how do you explain the overall color? Even the side stripe is very boa like when blown up. But I do admit I do see everything you are talking about, brad, but overall, it looks much more like a rosy to me. just the way its crawling is very boa like. And then we have two people that looked at pictures and both said it looked like a boa. I want to blow it up on a different program tonight and see if its any clearer. But the color its self eliminates gopher for me for now. Anyway those are just my opinions, I can definitely be wrong. I'm 75% for boa and 25% for gopher. lol
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Well, guess that makes like 2 to what, like 5? Seriously, I'm like 50/50Ross is Rong ;-) wrote:And then we have two people that looked at pictures and both said it looked like a boa
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Shit, I hate to admit this, but may actually be wrong for the first time in my life. It just might be a Gopher only because I can't explain away that dark defined looking stripe on the part of the snake closest to the plant. But when you blow it up, it looks more like a boa to me, especially the color. Then given the fact the odds are in favor of it being a gopher, is hard to overlook as well. And I think on top of that, a boa near the ocean would be a little less common than they usually are. I'll just leave it inconclusive on my part. It would be interesting to see the habitat around there.
- Ross Padilla
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Ross is Rong LOLmonklet wrote:Ross is Rong ;-) wrote:And then we have two people that looked at pictures and both said it looked like a boa
Well, guess that makes like 2 to what, like 5? Seriously, I'm like 50/50
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
You can view it as a liberating experience! I was wrong once and now I'm free to screw up all the time.Ross is Right :shock: wrote:I hate to admit this, but may actually be wrong for the first time in my life
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Boy, I can't tell....it mostly looks like a boa, but I agree that the stripe near the plant looks a little too wide. Here's what one from Carlsbad looks like - the color is about the same - who knows??
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Color looks like a Boa, and so does the dorsal stripe on the part of the snake going under the fence. The part near the meter is very peculiar though...
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
I just emailed my Dad a grainy pic of a gopher and boa I found online.
His answer was, "more like the boa".
Not sure that helps a lot. He's not home right now. When he gets home I'm going to have him google search images and find one that looks right.
His answer was, "more like the boa".
Not sure that helps a lot. He's not home right now. When he gets home I'm going to have him google search images and find one that looks right.
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
I just talked to them. Definitely not tan or any shade of brown. My Mom described it as about 3 ft based on what she could see. Grayish slate color. Muted pattern. No stripes, bands, etc. but not bluish as in the other boa pic I sent her. Definitely slate grey in color. It was there for about 15 minutes.
I can't imagine a gopher hanging out for 15 minutes. So I'm thinking boa. They're on the lookout for it now, but what are the odds on seeing it again?
I can't imagine a gopher hanging out for 15 minutes. So I'm thinking boa. They're on the lookout for it now, but what are the odds on seeing it again?
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Brad, I sent u that pm on accident. lol I meant to post It. My phone makes weird things happen.
Lou, it very well could have been a boa. Its just that part by the plant that's so confusing. The over all look and color is like a boa. Kent's, boa looks like the same color and everything, at least on my phone.
Lou, it very well could have been a boa. Its just that part by the plant that's so confusing. The over all look and color is like a boa. Kent's, boa looks like the same color and everything, at least on my phone.
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Really now, the most obvious diagnosis then would be an anery annectensLou wrote:Definitely not tan or any shade of brown
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
His mom is pretty sure it was grey, so I'd say it was a boa then. The chances of it being an anery gopher are about as Great as Hubbs telling someone he liked their post.
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
A boa with of a dorsal stripe that defined not to mention wide and straight would also be nearly as dark laterally. Not to mention it looks black. A gopher in the blue out cruising would probably look grey too. I would also expect to see more shine if it were a boa. My opinion is that it's a gophersnake.
- Mike Waters
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Go to his house, post a boa of equal size in the same position in front of the meter. Take a picture, repeat with gophersnake. Review images and then you shall know.
Doesn't rong start with a W. You keep this up and ill call Hubbs
Doesn't rong start with a W. You keep this up and ill call Hubbs
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
looks like a boa never seen a grey gopher lol
Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
Nope, rong starts with r, you're probably thinking of wrong, that starts with w. Shucks, even Hubbs knows that.Mike Waters wrote:Doesn't rong start with a W
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Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa
I don't think Mike's ever been wrong... so it stands to reason he's never heard that word... jim