Egyptian Sand Boa

Common Name: Egyptian Sand Boa
Scientific Name: Eryx colubrinus

Description:

The Egyptian Sand Boa, (Eryx colubrinus), has a heavy build but a small head. It also has small beady eyes and a short tail. Adults rarely measure a length of more than two feet (61 centimeters). The color patterns do not vary much. Basically, it comprises an orange or yellow coloration with an overlay of dark brown blotches. The belly is dirty white or cream in color. Coloration intensifies with age. In the wild, its food of choice is lizards and small rodents. Life expectancy is anything from twenty-seven to thirty years.

Geographic Range:

The Egyptian Sand Boa is common in Egypt. The range also extends from West Africa from Niger to the eastern part of Africa in the nations of Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. Outside Africa, a single species is common in Yemen. 

Habitat:

These snakes prefer sandy soil and arid scrub savannah.

Behavior:

They are chiefly nocturnal snakes. During hot periods, they scamper for refuge under stones or bully small mammals out of their burrows. They use burrows a vantage hunting point, killing unsuspecting prey via constriction.

Reproduction:

The Egyptian Sand Boa is oviparous, that is, gives birth to live young. The breeding season takes place from June to July, the offspring of coming between October and November. During a good season, the number of hatchlings can be as large as twenty. A dismal period yields only six. They measure 8 to ten inches in length.

Captivity:

Eryx colubrinus is a very hardy species in captivity. A twenty-gallon aquarium provides ample space for its comfort. It is important to provide a sandbox for it to exercise its burrowing. Despite its commonplace captivity, it lacks docility and can be outright snappy. The only remedy here is gentle handling. A diet of large mice keeps it happy though experts advise handlers to begin with lizards.