77 Years To Find A Boa

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
LouB747
Posts: 1184
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:50 am
Location: Huntington Beach, CA

77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by LouB747 »

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?

Image

Lou
User avatar
rosy-man
Posts: 317
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:43 am
Location: East of san diego

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by rosy-man »

they can be found close to the ocean, i think carlsbad has been the closet local.
michael68
Posts: 89
Joined: April 9th, 2011, 5:40 pm
Location: North LA County

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by michael68 »

The pattern on it in the pic looks like a gopher snake.
User avatar
Chris_VE.
Posts: 216
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:28 pm
Location: Corona, Riverside County, SoCal
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Chris_VE. »

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
User avatar
Mike Waters
Posts: 835
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 12:37 pm
Location: Bakersfield CA

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Mike Waters »

Looks like it could be a white sided black rat. Escaped pet!
User avatar
Chris_VE.
Posts: 216
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:28 pm
Location: Corona, Riverside County, SoCal
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Chris_VE. »

Mike Waters wrote:Looks like it could be a white sided black rat. Escaped pet!
Escaped pet!? For a three foot rat... It would have to be a very pampered pet... I bet he's just on a stroll 8-)
User avatar
LouB747
Posts: 1184
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:50 am
Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by LouB747 »

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?
User avatar
Chris_VE.
Posts: 216
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:28 pm
Location: Corona, Riverside County, SoCal
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Chris_VE. »

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.
User avatar
MarcLinsalata
Posts: 562
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 10:50 pm
Location: Los Angeles / New Jersey

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by MarcLinsalata »

Maybe you should crop out the meter in this photo to protect the locale - I think I know whos house this is........... :lol:
User avatar
LouB747
Posts: 1184
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:50 am
Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by LouB747 »

Yeh, I thought that might give it away... Good catch!
User avatar
Judson
Posts: 114
Joined: September 14th, 2010, 9:54 am
Location: SoCal and SW NM

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Judson »

I agree with Michael, Gopher snake.

-I
User avatar
LouB747
Posts: 1184
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:50 am
Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by LouB747 »

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!
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Ross Padilla »

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.
User avatar
Fundad
Posts: 5721
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:11 am
Location: Los Angeles County
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Fundad »

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
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by hellihooks »

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. :thumb: A gopher that thick would be longer. jim
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by monklet »

My first impression was Gopher Snake so I'll go with that crowd. ;-)
Fundad wrote:BTW Gopher snakes crawl when its cloudy too..
...have you actually observed this behavior? :lol:

Image
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by monklet »

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 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.

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! :D
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Ross Padilla »

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
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by monklet »

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? :lol: Seriously, I'm like 50/50 :)
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Ross Padilla »

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.
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Ross Padilla »

monklet 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? :lol: Seriously, I'm like 50/50 :)
Ross is Rong LOL
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by monklet »

Ross is Right :shock: wrote:I hate to admit this, but may actually be wrong for the first time in my life
You can view it as a liberating experience! :D I was wrong once and now I'm free to screw up all the time.
User avatar
Kent VanSooy
Posts: 1100
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:51 am
Location: Oceanside

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Kent VanSooy »

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??

Image
User avatar
SDherp
Posts: 141
Joined: January 14th, 2011, 2:46 pm
Location: Oceanside

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by SDherp »

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...
User avatar
LouB747
Posts: 1184
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:50 am
Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by LouB747 »

I just emailed my Dad a grainy pic of a gopher and boa I found online.
Image
Image

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.
User avatar
LouB747
Posts: 1184
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:50 am
Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by LouB747 »

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?
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Ross Padilla »

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.
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by monklet »

Lou wrote:Definitely not tan or any shade of brown
Really now, the most obvious diagnosis then would be an anery annectens :shock: :lol:
User avatar
Ross Padilla
Posts: 2666
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Location: I love L.A.
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Ross Padilla »

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.
User avatar
rpecora
Posts: 579
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 4:41 pm

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by rpecora »

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.
User avatar
Mike Waters
Posts: 835
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 12:37 pm
Location: Bakersfield CA

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by Mike Waters »

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
User avatar
rosy-man
Posts: 317
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:43 am
Location: East of san diego

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by rosy-man »

looks like a boa never seen a grey gopher lol
User avatar
monklet
Posts: 2648
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:44 pm
Location: Ventura, CA
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by monklet »

Mike Waters wrote:Doesn't rong start with a W
Nope, rong starts with r, you're probably thinking of wrong, that starts with w. Shucks, even Hubbs knows that.
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: 77 Years To Find A Boa

Post by hellihooks »

I don't think Mike's ever been wrong... so it stands to reason he's never heard that word... :crazyeyes: :lol: :lol: jim
Post Reply