Rough-scaled Sand Boa
“ If you must speak ill of another, do not speak it, write it in the sand near the water's edge. ”
– Napoleon Hill
Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Genius: Eryx
Species: Eryx conicus
Descendant: Boid
Named by: Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider
Year Published: 1801
Size: 99 cm (3 feet) long in length
Lifespan: 15–20+ years
Type:
Reptiles (Boas)
Title: n/a
Pantheon:
Terran/Gaian
Time Period: Holocene
Alignment: Good
Threat Level: ★
Diet: Carnivorous 🥩🪲
Elements: Soil, normal
Inflicts: n/a
Weaknesses: Water, leaf, metal, combat
Casualties: n/a
Based On: itself
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (NT) – IUCN Red List
Rough-scaled sand boa or Russell's boa (Eryx conicus), is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Erycinae of the family Boidae. The species is endemic to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. There are no subspecies which are recognised as being valid.
Physical Appearance
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.
Abilities
Kenyan sand boa and all Old World sand boas are well known constrictors, killed by the swallowing from the snake.
Ecology
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. The breeding season extends from November to January after which 6–8 young are born from May to August.
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.
Behavior
Rough-scaled sand boa is friendly to humans and others, but hostile to smaller ones.
Distribution and Habitat
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.
Movement Pattern: Not Migrant
Individual Type: Solo
Population Trend: Decreasing
Population: ???
Locomotion: Amphibious
Habitat: All
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
Tamed
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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