Rough-scaled Sand Boa

The rough-scaled sand boa, also called Russell's or the common sand boa, is a non-venomous boa native to southern Asia, with no valid subspecies. Adults can reach a total length of 99 cm including a short tail of about 7.6 cm. The head is covered with small scales, the eye is small with a vertical pupil, and the tail is pointed and only slightly, if at all, prehensile (Wikipedia, general species account).

The back scales are small and bumpy-keeled, and the keels become so heavy towards the rear that a squirming specimen can be painful to handle. The colour pattern is a broad zigzag band or series of dark brown blotches on a yellowish or brownish-grey ground, with a uniform white belly. In India it can be mistaken at first glance for the Indian python or Russell's viper. The type locality is given as eastern India.