Description ³

INTRODUCTION

• Non-Venomous
• Endemic to India, Pakistan and Iran.
• Has several superstitions associated with.
• Called "Two headed snake" by some due to round tail that looks like a head.

IDENTIFICATION

• Thick body with small keeled scales. However, look glossy.
• Usually reddish brown uniformly and sometimes black.
• Blunt and very rounded tail that looks like a head.
• The tail base had black bands in some individuals.
• Grow to 2-3 feet on average.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

• Widespread throughout peninsular India. Not found northeast of Bengal.
• Inhabit dry, sandy areas and rocky terrain with plenty of loose soil.
• Hides in rodent burrows and burrows into loose soil.

DIET AND BEHAVIOR

• Feeds on Rodents, geckos and other snakes.
• Nocturnal and burrowing species.
• Non-offensive and very docile . Very slow movers and sluggish.
• Not nippy like the common sand boa and just tries to hide it's head under coils.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Chris Harrison, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/lamprophis1963/9080660483/
2. (c) Vinay Gogula, all rights reserved, uploaded by Vinay Gogula
3. (c) Vinay Gogula, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HerpMapper
• Snake Database
• The Reptile Database
• VertNet

iNat Map