Chapter 2
Natural History of the Rosy Boa
This chapter is a compilation constructed through personal observations of the authors, careful examination of the available literature and many never before published observational notes from participating hobbyists and professional contributors.
Chapter Preview:"Compared to many other species there has been an enormous amount of information gathered on the natural history of the Rosy Boa. The number of enthusiasts who have kept accurate field records of Rosy Boa encounters are very high and a lot of our information comes from these sources. In addition, information gathered by hobbyists who keep and breed Rosy Boas in captivity helps us to suppliment what we know of the wild natural history of Boas, effectively filling in some of the gaps (such as reproduction) that could not easily be observed any other way.
Another source of natural history information is radio telemetry studies. In radio telemetry studies snakes are captured and implanted with radio tracking devices that monitor the snakes movement and body temperature. These studies give us an excellent understanding of a snakes movements, activity periods and thermoregulation capabilities. There have been three radio telemetry studies undertaken by Rosy Boa researchers. One of the three telemetry studies was never completed and the data that was gathered was apparently lost by the Arizona Department of Fish and Game. Of the remaining two studies, one was conducted in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and the other in Coastal San Diego County.
Seasonal Activity Patterns
Like other snakes from northern latitudes, Rosy Boas show a pattern of warm season activity and cool season dormancy. The duration of the active season varies, depending upon the latitude and elevation of the specific locality, but the pattern is generally the same with spring being the season of greatest activity. The exception to this is Baja California Sur where we see the majority of Boa activity in the fall instead of spring."
Example Figure:
 figure x. 44 Rosy Boa observations recorded in Baja California South displayed graphically by month.
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