A diurnal species, tending to be crepuscular during summer. Often found on trees and bushes if available, especially during the bird migration times when it feeds on small passerines.
Not listed
A medium to large, slender snake. Largest Egyptian specimen has a total length of 1,480 mm. Tail long, tail / total length = 0.31-0.34; nostril in a divided nasal; loreal elongate, same length as nasals; 9 supralabials, usually fifth and sixth enter the eye, 10-12 infralabials; 163-179 ventrals, 109-121 paired subcaudals, dorsals smooth, 17 scale rows around mid-body, anal divided. Dorsum light sandy-gray; variably striped with dark stripes; a dark stripe extends from snout to beyond the temporal area, some dark marbling on top of head shields. Venter white or yellowish with variable dark longitudinal stripes.
Distributed widely on the western Mediterranean coastal plain, extending south to about 29°N, but appears to be lacking from the interior of the Western Desert. Occurs locally along the margins of the Nile Valley and Delta. In the Eastern Desert it is widespread in the north, but appears more confined to the Red Sea littoral in the south. Widespread over much of Sinai, including the dune fields of the north.
Global range very large, extending from Morocco to Arabia and Central Asia, soutfi to the Sahel.
Inhabits a wide variety of habitats in sandy and rocky deserts and subdeserts, preferring areas with fairly good vegetation. Restricted to regions of the country, where at least some annual precipitation is received, or where permanent vegetation is found. Commonest in coastal areas. In South Sinai found up to 1,600 m, but likely to occur at higher altitudes.
One of the commonest and most widespread snakes in Egypt. Common in the pet trade.
The Schokari sand racer (Psammophis schokari) is a species of psammophiid snake found in parts of Asia and Africa. Psammophis schokari aegyptius has been elevated to species status. Many people refer to snakes in the genus Psammophis as colubrids, but this is now known to be incorrect—they were once classified in the Colubridae, but our more sophisticated understanding of the relationships among the groups of snakes has led herpetologists to reclassify Psammophis and its relatives into Lamprophiidae, a family more closely related to Elapidae than to Colubridae.[2]
Northwest India, Afghanistan (Leviton 1959: 461), Pakistan, south Turkmenistan, Western Sahara, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman,[3] Syria, Iraq, Iran (Kavir Desert), and Yemen.
Type locality: Yemen.
The Schokari sand racer (Psammophis schokari) is a species of psammophiid snake found in parts of Asia and Africa. Psammophis schokari aegyptius has been elevated to species status. Many people refer to snakes in the genus Psammophis as colubrids, but this is now known to be incorrect—they were once classified in the Colubridae, but our more sophisticated understanding of the relationships among the groups of snakes has led herpetologists to reclassify Psammophis and its relatives into Lamprophiidae, a family more closely related to Elapidae than to Colubridae.
