Kenyan Sand Boa

Genus (Eryx), named from Classical mythology — Eryx was a king and boxer killed by Heracles — which has been applied historically to thick, burrowing boas. The word boa is from Middle English boa, from Latin boa (“large snake”), a species of serpent mentioned in Pliny's Naturalis Historia (Natural History). From Proto-Italic *gʷouā (with the b- due to a Sabellic intermediary), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷówyeh₂, a derivative of *gʷówyos (“pertaining to cows”). The semantic derivation stems from folk beliefs that snakes could drink cow milk; such folklore also underlies Serbo-Croatian guja and kravosas, the former being an exact cognate to the Latin word.

• Singular: sand boa

• Plural: sand boas

The color pattern may consist of a yellow or orange coloration overlaid with dark brown splotches. The belly is white or cream colored. It is readily available in the pet trade due to its small size, docility and ease of care. In recent years there have been a number of new morphs made available by both commercial and hobby breeders. These are ancient snakes, evolutionarily closer to early boas than to modern pythons or colubrids.

Some of the more popular morphs available include anerythristic Kenyan sand boas (black and white lacking orange/red simple recessive trait), albino Kenyan sand boas (lacking black pigment simple recessive), snow KSBs (double recessive combination of an anery and albino), stripes (normal colored, anerythristic, albino and snow), hypo/ghost, anerythristic KSBs, paradox albinos (simple recessive), paradox snows (double recessive trait), splash (recessive), paint (recessive) and stripe combinations with any of the listed recessive traits. In addition many line bred traits have been accentuated on the above morphs, such as Nuclears (extreme red), High Whites, Reduced Patterns as examples. The Kenyan sand boa is heavily-built snake with a small head, small eyes, vertical pupils, and a short tail. Scale texture is extremely smooth, except on the tail, which is covered in bumps.

The Kenyan sand boa is a skilled at burrowing; it may vanish beneath the sand in a matter of seconds. It is also an ambush predator, lying with its eyes open while it waits for food. This sand boa kills by squeezing; it is not poisonous. Although it is not aquatic, the sand boa employs lateral body waves like most snakes and can swim if needed. The sand boa possessed good touch and vibration detection but no infrared pits like pythons.

Kenyan sand boa is most active at night, but may be irregularly active during the day. This species is fossorial and spends most of its time underground. During the hotter times of the year, Kenyan sand boa seek refuge beneath stones and in the burrows of small mammals. However, they have also been known to occasionally climb trees. Kenyan sand boa feeds on small mammals that are quickly seized when passing within striking range and killed by constriction.

Kenyan sand boa is ovoviviparous. In captivity, it breeds readily November through April in the United States or worldwide by the UN and the princess (or scientists), delivering live birth averaging 10-20 babies born spring through late summer. The young at birth typically are 20–25 cm (8-10 inches) in length.

Reproduction

• Reproductive type: Ovoviviparous (live birth)

• Mating season: Often after cooler periods

• Gestation: ~4–5 months

• Litter size: 5–20 babies

• Newborns:

  • Fully independent at birth

  • Miniature versions of adults

• Parental care: None (classic snake style)

The slow-moving, extremely docile Kenyan sand boa rarely bites and would rather curl up or burrow. They defend themselves by showing their tail, covering their head, and mildly musking (which is innocuous but smells). The sand boa is not harmful to humans—it has no venom and a weak bite—and it can withstand handling when kept in captivity. This snake's primary activity was primarily nocturnal or crepuscular. Many people consider them to be among the greatest snakes that are "beginner-friendly."

Threats

• Habitat degradation.

• Illegal or unregulated wildlife trade.

• Road mortality in some regions.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Least Concern (LC)

Conservation Efforts

• Captive breeding has reduced pressure on wild populations.

• Protection depends heavily on local habitat conservation.

• Anti-poaching enforcement.

• Rescue and rehabilitation centers.

• Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

Kenyan sand boa is found in northern Africa from Egypt as far west as Niger (Aïr), including Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, and northern Tanzania. A single specimen has been reported from Yemen. The type locality given is "Ægypto". Kenyan sand boa occurs in semi-desert and scrub savannahs and rock outcroppings. It prefers sandy, friable soil.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People," or Terrans from Earth, brought the sand boa to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Berbania from Ursa Major and Reinachos from Cygnus. Despite the death of our planet, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. The sand boa became an invasive species as a result of human interactions for game hunting and rewilding. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, the sand boa lived in conditions and climates identical to those of Earth.

• Movement Pattern: Random

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Increasing

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Terrestrial

• Habitat: Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Chad; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Kenya; Niger; Somalia; Sudan; Tanzania

  • Presence Uncertain: Yemen

• Berbania: Thirenha

• Reinachos: Pascua

All boids are immediately domesticated when they hatch from an egg because the survivor is always within 17 radii of the hatching egg. If the boid snake isn't already trained, you can train it with a whip, worms, rat meat, seaweed-wrapped mice, or fish eggs.

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• My favorite snake and reptile since 2018 is the ibid lizard.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eryx_colubrinus

• https://happyhollow.org/explore/zoo/education-ambassador/kenyan-sand-boa/

• https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jorge_luis_borges_183425

• https://www.reptilecymru.co.uk/kenyan-sand-boa-care-guide/

• https://animalia.bio/kenyan-sand-boa

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13264792/13264801

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Kenyan-sand-boa-878318440

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Kenyan-Sand-Boa-2025-1151493898