ANIMAL:Kenyan Sand Boa Gongylophis colubrinus
Type of Animal:
Boa/Python
Habitat:
Semi-desert, deserts/desert margins, vegetated sand dunes, savannah scrub habitat, rock outcroppings, prefers loose soils (especially sandy ones)
Location(s):
Niger, Chad, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, E Central African Republic, NE Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, N Tanzania
Appearance:
Yellow to orange coloration w/ dark brown splotches, white/cream belly, small head, small eyes, short tail, females much larger than males, many morphs exist in captivity, males have longer tails, young have more distinctive dark bands
Food/Diet:
Small mammals, birds, lizards
Status in Wild:
Stable
Conservation:
Breeding in zoos & herpetoculture
Lifestyle:
Solitary
Additional Info:Called:
Male
Female
Young: Snakelet
Group: Solitary
Weight:
Male: 2.47-3.53 oz
Female: 14-31.74 oz
Young: 1 oz
Gestation:
4 monthsLife Span:
10-12 years in wild, 15-20 years in captivity
Body Length:
Male: 1.25-1.5 ft
Female: 2.3 ft
Young: 1 ft
Main predators are monitor lizards, raptors, larger snakes, & carnivorous/omnivorous mammals.
Also called Egyptian Sand Boa & East African Sand Boa.
In hotter periods, it will seek refuge beneath stones & in burrows.
Like all boas, kill prey by constricting & swallowing whole.
Like most boas, they’re ovoviviparous w/ eggs developing inside mom’s body, resulting in 4-32 live young.
Eyes/nostrils on top of head so they remain free of sandy debris.
Like most boas, they’re ambush predators.
Sexually mature at 2 years old.
Most often crepuscular (active at dawn & dusk) or nocturnal (active at night).
Often, males have to dig females from sand before mating.
Fun Fact(s):
Fairly popular pets due to docile temperament.
When threatened, they’ll bury themselves quickly into soft ground.
When food scarce, they can go over a year w/o any food.
Tail looks somewhat like head-good adaptation to confuse predators.
80% of life spent under soil.
Sharp scales on tail can be used in defense.
