Eryx whitakeri, also commonly known as Whitaker's sand boa or Whitaker's boa, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Erycinae of the family Boidae. The species is endemic to India. No subspecies are recognized.
Etymology The specific name whitakeri, as well as both of the above common names, are in honor of American-born Indian herpetologist Romulus Whitaker.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Eryx whitakeri, p. 284).
Geographic range
E. whitakeri is found in southwestern coastal India in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and southern Maharashtra.
The type locality given is "Mangalore, Karnataka State, India".
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of E. whitakeri are sea beaches and scrub forests.
Description E. whitakeri may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of .Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. . (Eryx whitakeri, p. 14).
Diet E. whitaker preys upon small mice.
Reproduction E. whitakeri is viviparous. www.reptile-database.org.
References
Further reading
Whitaker R, Captain A (2004). Snakes of India: The Field Guide. Chennai: Draco Books. 495 pp. . Das I (1991). "A new species of Eryx (Boidae: Serpentes: Squamata) from south-western India". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 88 (1): 92–97. (Eryx whitakeri, new species). Jones C (2004). "Sandboas". Reptilia 9 (3): 20–30. Sharma RC (2003). Handbook: Indian Snakes. Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India. 292 pp. .
External links Image of Eryx whitakeri at India Nature Watch. Accessed 10 July 2008.