A short, thick, blunt-tailed burrowing boa of African and Asian deserts that spends most of its life buried in loose sand.
Description
The Kenyan sand boa is a short, stout boa rarely over 80 cm, with a blunt rounded tail, small head, and tiny eyes set high on the skull. The dorsal pattern is bright orange or yellow with dark brown blotches, and the smooth scales let it slide easily through loose sand.
Behavior
A nocturnal ambush hunter, the sand boa lies buried with only the top of the head exposed and strikes upward at passing rodents and lizards. It constricts prey beneath the surface before swallowing it. Females give birth to small live young rather than laying eggs, an adaptation to dry climates.
Range
Native to dry parts of East Africa from Egypt south to Tanzania. The species is popular in the pet trade thanks to its small size and bright colour, and several morphs have been bred in captivity.
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