Alice,
As for your first question, the answer is no. But the Rubber Boa is found in the same regions and habitat where both species of Sharp-tailed Snakes occur. For instance you can find the boa and sharptail under the same cover object in Santa Cruz County as well as elsewhere.

I have named the new species of Contia the Forest Sharp-tailed Snake. A draft of a manuscript that formally describes the new species has been sent to the individual that is cooperating on this venture. The distribution of both species can be sympatric (they overlap) in certain areas including where you live in Santa Cruz Co. Strangely, only the Forest Sharptail with the long tail have been documented from that county but right across highway 35 (Skyline) on the east and in Santa Clara County my son Ryan has found Contia tenuis which I have named the Common Sharp-tailed Snake. Since there is identical habitat on the west side of that road, certaining Contia tenuis also occurs in Santa Cruz County as well. I have collected three specimens of the Forest Sharptail in Santa Clara Co., one along highway 35 near the junction of highway 9 and two specimens along highway 9 east of the junction with highway 35 towards Saratoga.

Both species have been documented from San Mateo, Sonoma, Mendocino and Trinity Counties in Calif. and from Jackson, and Douglas Counties in Oregon. They certainly occur near one another in other Oregon counties as well but no voucher specimens yet exist for the Forest Sharptail in Josephine and Lane Counties where there is strong evidence that species should occur.

Although there is still a lot of habitat remaining for the Forest Sharp-tailed Snake in your region, just like other native species in that region, it has also lost a sizeable chunk of habitat as well.

After 6 1/2 years, I am still maintaining the original specimen that led to the discovery of the new species of Contia. She was found in Mendocino County in July, 1998. Both species will feed on slugs, slender salamanders and worms. I have some evidence they may take other prey but slugs seems to be their preferred prey.

Richard F. Hoyer (charinabottae@earthlink.net)

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