Candoia aspera

Candoia aspera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Boidae
Genus:	Candoia
Species:	C. aspera
Binomial name
Candoia aspera (Günther, 1877)

Candoia aspera, known commonly as the Viper Boa or New Guinea Ground Boa, is a species of snake in the Boidae family. As its common name suggests, it is found in New Guinea. They are a terrestrial species, living in the undergrowth. They are considerably smaller than the rest of the Boidae family. Viper Boas get anywhere from 2' to 3' feet in length. They are known to be primarily nocturnal. Viper Boas are known to be slightly more aggressive than other Candoia. In recent years they've become increasingly scarce in the pet industry, due to restrictions on import/export trading. Though they were more common in the past, there is still very little known about them, in particular their behaviour in the wild. For example; Their lifespan is still undetermined. It got the nickname Viper Boa from its appearance. They look extremely similar to the Elapid species Acanthophis laevis, more commonly known as the "Papuan Death Adder." Interestingly, the death adder itself only resembles a viper, but is actually an elapid. However because of the resemblance to the highly venomous death adder, many are killed out of fear although they are truly harmless.