page_title: Xenopeltis unicolor
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Xenopeltis unicolor / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: This closeup clearly shows the characteristic iridescent highly polished scales.
context_page_description: Xenopeltis unicolor is a non-venomous sunbeam snake species found in Southeast Asia and some regions of Indonesia. This is a primitive snake known for both its highly iridescent scales and its ability to reproduce quickly, as it is oviparous and as such can lay up to 10 eggs at a time. No subspecies are currently recognized.
context_section_description: Grows to an average of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in). A fossorial species, the head is wedge-shaped and narrow with little neck delineation, which makes it easy to push through the soil. Its most defining characteristic is its iridescent, highly polished scales that give this snake its common name. They have a layer of dark pigmentation just below the surface on each scale that enhances the iridescence. The youngs look very similar to the adults, except that they have a strong white "collar" of scales evident just below the head. This coloration fades within the first year.
  
  This is a primitive form of snake with both boid and python characteristics; which family it belongs to is still a matter of debate.
caption: This closeup clearly shows the characteristic iridescent highly polished scales.
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