Eastern sand boa
| Eastern sand boa | ||||||||||||
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Eastern sand boa ( Eryx miliaris ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Eryx miliaris | ||||||||||||
| ( Pallas , 1773) |
The eastern sand boa or desert sand boa ( Eryx miliaris ) is a non-poisonous snake from the subfamily of sand boas ( Erycinae) within the boas (Boidae).
features
It is on average 35 to 55 centimeters long, making it the smallest type of sand boas. The body is typically stocky with a short and rounded tail and a blunt head that is not separated from the body. The eyes are small and sit more clearly on the top of the head than in any other species, the pupil is slit-shaped - the eyes on the head allow this species to be distinguished from the western sand boa ( Eryx jaculus ). The animals have 10 to 14 shields of the upper lip ( supralabials ) and between these and the eyes two to three rows of small shields under the eyes ( subocularia ), the scales on the underside of the head are also small and smooth.
The entire body is covered with small scales that are smooth or slightly keeled, especially in the front part of the body. This species has 40 to 50 rows of scales around the middle of the body. The belly scales are very narrow. The animals have a light sand-colored to dark brown basic color and a back markings made of loosely linked dark spots, on both sides of the tail the animals have a dark stripe and a dark temple band extends from the eye to the corner of the mouth.
Distribution area and habitat
The eastern sand boa is widespread in Central Asia and also reaches the eastern edge of Europe on the Caspian Sea .
Way of life
The eastern sand boa is a typical bottom inhabitant of the Central Asian deserts and semi-desert areas, which are characterized by sandy soils and stones as well as little vegetation. It digs into the upper layers of sand and is active at twilight and night. It feeds on small mammals, reptiles, insects and bird nests, which it grabs with its jaws and swallows or kills by wrapping its body.
literature
- Ulrich Gruber: The snakes in Europe and around the Mediterranean . Franck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1989. ISBN 3-440-05753-4