For more information
on other animals found at Cub Creek Science Camp visit our
animal page.
Kenyan Sand Boa
Eryx
colubrinus
The Kenyan Sand Boa is also known as a East African
Sand Boa. They are found throughout
Egypt,
Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Chad, Niger, Yemen, Tanzania,
and Somalia. The Sand Boa is a constrictor with a very
powerful squeeze for its size. The male can grow up to 2
feet with the females being slightly larger.
The Kenyan Sand Boa doesn't
climb and rarely even goes above ground. They prefer
to burrow beneath the substrate only coming above ground to
eat.
They are Ovoviviparous, which
means although the babies develop inside eggs within the
mother, they will be born live.
The young Sand Boas will eat
pinkie mice and as they grow, gradually eat larger and
larger prey all the way up to hoppers and small rats.
Kenyan Sand
Boa at Camp
Our Sand
Boa, Cookie, lives in the Reptile Room of the Animal
Learning Center. You may think that the container is
empty but he is just burrowed beneath the sand. Most
of the time he stays covered but he will come up for food
and water. To pick him up you slip your hand under the
sand and slide it along the bottom so that you come up
underneath him and then lift him up. He is a very
docile snake that is very popular with our campers during
summer camp.
