Cerberus rynchops

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Cerberus rynchops
Cerberus rynchops Andamans.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Homalopsidae
Genus: Cerberus
Species:
C. rynchops
Binomial name
Cerberus rynchops
(Schneider, 1799)
Synonyms [2]
  • Hydrus rynchops
    Schneider, 1799
  • Hydrus cinereus
    Shaw, 1802
  • Coluber cerberus
    Daudin, 1803
  • Python rhynchops
    Merrem, 1820
  • Homalopsis cerberus
    Fitzinger, 1826
  • Homalopsis molurus
    H. Boie, 1826
  • Homolopsis rhynchops
    F. Boie, 1827
  • Cerberus cerberus
    Cuvier, 1829
  • Cerberus cinereus
    Cantor, 1839
  • Cerberus rhynchops
    Günther, 1864
  • Hurria rynchops
    Stejneger, 1907
  • Cerberus rynchops
    M.A. Smith, 1930

Cerberus rynchops, also known as the New Guinea bockadam, South Asian bockadam, bockadam snake, or dog-faced water snake, is a mildly venomous species of a snake in the family Homalopsidae. [1] [2] It is native to coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia. [2] The species was re-delimited in 2012, allocating populations east and south of the west coast of Thailand to other species. [3]

Contents

Ecology and behaviour

It is commonly found in mangroves, mudflats, streams, ponds, tidal pools, on algae patches, and has even been found burrowing into the mud.[ citation needed ] It is rear-fanged and is mildly venomous.[ citation needed ] An aquatic and nocturnal snake, it feeds mainly on fish and is known to consume eels.[ citation needed ]

In captivity, it is observed to move in a sidewinding direction on land.[ citation needed ] In the BBC series 'Life in Cold Blood' it was filmed adapting this sidewinding technique to jump across a mudflat in Singapore; up until then, no snakes were considered able to truly jump.[ citation needed ] It also has a prehensile tail that would suggest it could climb mangrove trees.[ citation needed ] It is now known to give birth to live young, numbering from 8 to 30, either in water or on land.[ citation needed ]

It is a quite docile, mild-tempered and a hardy snake; in recent years it has become a welcome addition to snake hobbyists in the Philippines.[ citation needed ] It also owes its popularity to its bright yellow to orange belly coloring, mostly of females.[ citation needed ] In the Philippines, particularly in the Central Visayas area, this snake is commonly known as the "tangkig".[ citation needed ]

Scalation CerebrusRynchopsScales.svg
Scalation

Description

The visibility of upper jaw, giving it a dog-like appearance. Head long and distinct from neck. Eyes small and beady, with rounded pupils. Dorsum dark gray, with faint dark blotches and a dark line along the sides of the head, across the eyes. Center cream with two distinct rows of large, diffuse dark gray spots.[ citation needed ]

Scales are distinctly keeled. Midbody scale rows 21–25. Ventrals 132–160. Subcaudals 49–72.[ citation needed ]

Distribution and habitat

Dog-faced Water Snake, Sundarban, India Cerberus rynchops sundarban.JPG
Dog-faced Water Snake, Sundarban, India

This is a saltwater-tolerant species found in India (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and northwestern Malaysia. [2] The eastern limit of its distribution with Cerberus schneiderii is uncertain. [3]

Related Research Articles

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The Homalopsidae are a family of snakes which contains about 28 genera and more than 50 species. They are commonly known as Indo-Australian water snakes, mudsnakes, or bockadams. They are also known as ular air in Indonesian. They are typically stout-bodied water snakes, and all are mildly venomous. Two monotypic genera are notable for their unusual morphology: Erpeton possesses a pair of short, fleshy appendages protruding from the front of the snout, and Bitia has uniquely enlarged palatine teeth. Cerberus species have been noted to use sidewinding to cross slick mud flats during low tide. Fordonia and Gerarda are the only snakes known to tear their prey apart before eating it, pulling soft-shelled crabs through their coils to rip them apart prior to ingestion.

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References

  1. 1 2 Murphy, J. (2010). "Cerberus rynchops ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T176680A7282653. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176680A7282653.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cerberus rynchops at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 Murphy, J.C.; Voris, H.K.; Karns, D.R. (2012). "The dog-faced water snakes, a revision of the genus Cerberus Cuvier, (Squamata, Serpentes, Homalopsidae), with the description of a new species". Zootaxa. 3484: 1–34. Abstract (pdf)

Further reading