India has joined Iran and Pakistan to become part of the known range of the Sistan sand boa.
The species has been formally recorded in the country, with multiple sightings of the snake.
Here's what to know
The evidence, published earlier this year in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, drew on three separate encounters: one snake inside a cow enclosure in August 2025, another in a house yard in Sunda Ki Dhani in September 2025, and a third near an under-construction house at Rukansar later that month.
Since the confirmed snakes were found around homes and a cowshed, researchers said the species may frequent agricultural land, orchards, and other human-adjacent places in addition to sand dunes, according to India Today.
Because the Sistan sand boa closely resembles India's better-known red sand boa, the researchers relied on scale patterns, coloration, and overall body form to confirm the identification, the regional news outlet explained.
The tail offers a straightforward distinction, however. A Sistan sand boa narrows steadily to a pointed tip, while a red sand boa stays thick through most of its tail before tapering near the end.
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More background
Scientists only distinguished the Sistan sand boa taxonomically in 2020. That's when a study cited by India Today used morphological and genetic evidence to recognize it as a separate species.
Mistaken identification can distort wildlife records, especially when two species look so similar. Meanwhile, this discovery was the result of patience, not guesswork.
"We knew that this snake was different, but we did not rush to publish a research paper," study co-author Dharmendra Khandal told the news outlet. "We first decided to understand and study it properly."
Where can I learn more?
These stories add context, from snakes turning up in Indian neighborhoods to researchers separating lookalike species:
• In Pakistan's high mountains, DNA revealed three species where one pit viper was assumed.
• In Delhi, monsoon-driven snake surges are bringing more reptiles into neighborhoods.
• Across India, rising temperatures and snakebites are converging into a growing public health threat.
• In Telangana, an Indian cobra inside a house forced a careful home rescue.
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