Rough-scaled 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

Dorsally, the color pattern consists of a broad zigzag band or a series of dark brown blotches on a yellowish or brownish grey ground color. The belly is uniformly white. The anterior dorsal scales are only feebly keeled, but these keels increase in size posteriorly to the point that they become so heavily keeled that it can make a squirming specimen really painful to handle. This also makes it look as if the front and rear ends belong to markedly different animals.

The semi-fossorial (burrowing) rough-scaled sand boa only reveals its head to ambush prey. When disturbed, this sand boa coils tightly or retreats into the soil. This boa, like other sand boas, is adapted to digging in loose dirt or sand using muscular, serpentine movements; it is not specialized for swimming. There isn't much proof that it frequently engages in water activities in the wild or has any significant swimming adaptations.

It can be found close to human habitats including agricultural fields and gardens. It uses other species' burrows that allow it to ambush prey. It shelters in deep cracks, rat burrows and piles of rocks or bricks. It feeds on rodents, lizards, amphibians and ground feeding birds. Cannibalistic behavior has also been observed in this snake. It is a viviparous snake.

Rough-scaled sand boas are active at dusk and at night. These boas prey upon birds and small mammals, which it kills by constricting. The rough-scaled sand boa's color pattern frequently resembles that of the highly venomous Russell's viper, which some herpetologists believe is a case of Batesian mimicry.

Reproduction

The breeding season extends from November to January after which 6–8 young are born from May to August.

• Reproductive type: Ovoviviparous (live birth)

• Mating season: Often after cooler periods

• Gestation: ~4–5 months

• Litter size: 6–8 babies

• Newborns:

  • Fully independent at birth

  • Miniature versions of adults

• Parental care: None (classic snake style)

The semi-fossorial (burrowing) rough-scaled sand boa only reveals its head to ambush prey. When disturbed, this sand boa coils tightly or retreats into the soil. Although bites are uncommon and have no medical significance, sand boas are non-venomous and typically safe to humans. These are frequently killed by people in various regions of India because they are thought to be vipers, endangering their population.

Threats

• Illegal capture for pet trade and skin trade.

• Killing due to mistaken identity (thought venomous).

• Habitat degradation in some regions.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened (NT)

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.

It is a common species in India, with population declines reported from its range in southern India. It is thought that illegal collectors have to put increasing efforts into collecting animals for trade as a consequence of its greater scarcity. The population status in Nepal is unclear. It was formerly common in agricultural areas, but now appears to be rare. Primarily nocturnal but is also active by day. It is found in varied habitat types from dry arid areas to areas where the annual rainfall is about 381 cm and the soil supports luxuriant vegetation. 

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: Not Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Decreasing

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• 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): Bangladesh; India (Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jammu-Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttaranchal, Kerala, Chattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab); Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka

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

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13264817/1362030

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Rough-scaled-Sand-Boa-878319305

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Russell-s-Sand-Boa-2025-1156575367