About Eryx johnii (Russell, 1801)
Adults of Eryx johnii rarely reach a total length (including the tail) of over 2 feet (61 cm), though they may occasionally grow as long as 3 feet (91 cm). This species is adapted for burrowing, with a wedge-shaped head, narrow nostrils, and very small eyes. Its body is cylindrical, covered in small, polished dorsal scales. The tail is blunt, rounded, not sharply distinct from the body, and gives a truncated appearance. The species' coloration ranges from reddish brown to dull yellow-tan. Eryx johnii occurs geographically from Iran, through Pakistan, into western, southern, and northwestern India. Its recorded type locality is "Tranquebar", which corresponds to Tanjore, Trichy, in southeastern Tamil Nadu, India. It is also found in the Indian desert, and in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, it is called the Mandul snake in the Marathi language. This species inhabits dry, semi-desert scrub plains and rocky dry foothills, up to an elevation of 200 m (660 ft). It prefers loose sand or easily crumbled sandy soil, burrows into this substrate, and lives underground. Eryx johnii is ovoviviparous; females give birth to as many as 14 young at a time, between late summer and the monsoon season.
