Sand Boa’s Hunting Skills and Goofy Eyes Go Viral

by Lincoln Roos, age 12

An unusual creature thrives in the deserts of Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. This amazing creature is called the Arabian Sand Boa. Its name represents where it is from and the way it makes burrows deep in the sand. Being a nocturnal creature this snake hunts from dusk to dawn.

This animal is carnivorous which means it only eats meat. This boa preyed upon geckos, smaller snakes, and worm lizards. This animal's hunting strategy involves it sleeping in its burrow for the entire day. When the cool air of the night falls, the snake senses a change in the sand’s temperature. Then in turn it goes higher in the sand with those strange eyes peeking out slightly. When prey gets close its head and fangs lunges out lightning fast and drag its prey deep into its burrow. Never to be seen again. This animal is also an egg layer, which is very strange for a boa because only two species of boa lay eggs. After mating this snake can lay up to five eggs.

The Sand Boa is also very interesting due to the placement of its eyes on the top of its head. This is useful when hunting. It also looks very cute in the process but don't let its eyes fool you because this animal has a very strong bite. The Arabian Sand Boa has to have a powerful bite because it has to kill its prey in one swift move or face the consequences of the prey running away, another predator stealing the kill, or another predator eating both it and its prey. Don't worry about the Arabian sand boa hurting you, because they are very friendly towards humans. Some people even keep them as pets.

Something unusual that makes this snake stand out is that the baby snakelings do not have an egg tooth, which is a sharp protrusion on the snout that the babies use to break out of their eggs. Since the snakelings do not have them, the mother must help them break out of their eggs. The Arabian Sand Boa also has extreme camouflage, so extreme that people often step on this snake because it's so hidden.

With this animal's features, traits, and especially its eyes, the Arabian Sand Boa has gained a HUGE following on social media, turning an almost invisible creature into an internet superstar.r

[Source: Life Science]