Saharan Sand Boa

The Saharan sand boa or Müller's Sand Boa (Eryx muelleri) is a species of snake in the family Boidae. Hence the name, this boid was found in Sahara desert in place of portions of Sub Saharan Africa.

Etymology

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 specific name, muelleri, is in honor of Swiss herpetologist Fritz Müller.

Physical Appearance

The Müller's sand boa has large brown splotches and an orange/yellow hue, much like the Kenyan sand boa. The "claw" at the end of their tail and the variation in head color are the only real visual differences.

Abilities

As is common with sand boas, Müller's sand boa is terrestrial and fossorial, moving mostly underneath or slightly below the surface. There isn't much proof that this species has evolved to swim. Being a desert/savanna snake that lives on the ground, it hardly ever, if ever, goes into water. Unlike water snakes, the majority of boas in this subfamily do not have any particular aquatic adaptations. They are non-venomous constrictors that ambush their victims by remaining buried with only their head or eyes visible, then emerging to attack and wrap themselves around their victim.

Ecology

They are kept fairly regularly in the pet industry due to their docile nature and easy care. Saharan sand boa is oviparous.

Reproduction

Specific clutch data are limited, but egg laying rather than live birth is confirmed.

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)

Behavior

Saharan sand boa is friendly to humans and others, but hostile to smaller ones.

Threats and Conservation

Threats

Pet trade exploitation: Wild individuals are collected, particularly exported from Togo and other range countries, potentially impacting local populations if unregulated.
Habitat change: Land use changes and degradation could pose future risks but currently not documented as critical threats.

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.

Distribution and Habitat

From Mauritania and Senegal all the way east to Sudan, Saharan sand boa can be found all over West and Central Africa. Gambia, northern Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, northern Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic are among the countries where it is pervasive. Since this species has never been reported in Sierra Leone, the story that it was there may be false. However, a record from this country's far north does show this species to exist. Records for the type locality Sennar and a locality 50 kilometers west of Umm Ruwaba exist in Sudan. Saharan sand boa will happens between sea level and 500 m asl.

The results of both field surveys and interviews with local residents in many range states reveal that Saharan sand boa is locally plentiful and that it looks to be quite widespread throughout its range.

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: Stable
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): Benin; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; the Ivory Coast; Mali; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Senegal; Sudan

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.

Lore

Coming soon