Rosy boas are gentle and non-venomous. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo
The California rosy boa is a rare sight in the Anza Valley, but when encountered, these docile, non-venomous snakes win the hearts of local residents every time.Known to be timid yet even-tempered when held by humans, rosy boas, Lichinura trivirgata, are slow, thick-bodied snakes related to boa constrictors and anacondas. The rosy boa, along with the rubber boa, are the only two species of boas native to the United States.There are two subspecies in California, the coastal rosy boa and the desert rosy boa. Neither of these snakes have venom that is dangerous to most humans, according to Jay Sharp with DesertUSA.com.The gentle serpents range from Southern California and western Arizona to northern Baja and western Sonora. They prefer deserts and rocky scrublands, where they hunt
