THE SAND BOA

John’s sand boa (Eryx johni johni) is uniformly pale, sandy brown above and whitish below, or almost entirely brown. This snake bears two small reddish spots near the tail, resembling the eyes. This has given rise to the popular belief (though false), that this snake changes its head from one end of the body to the other every six months alternately, and hence the popular name in Tamil, Iruthalai Pambu. They are sluggish, inoffensive snakes, inhabiting dry sandy areas and kills their prey by constricting before swallowing. They feed on small mammals, birds, snakes and frogs. Six to eight young ones are produced at a time.