A stocky, mildly venomous snake of Asian mangrove swamps with a blunt dog-like snout suited to hunting in muddy water.
Description
A short, thickset snake about 80 cm long with strongly keeled scales giving the body a rough texture, a blunt snout, and small upward-facing eyes. The ground colour is greyish-brown with darker crossbars and a creamy belly streaked with black on the chin.
Behavior
Dog-faced water snakes hunt at night in shallow tidal water, gripping mudskippers and gobies with rear fangs that inject a mild venom. They sometimes leave the water at low tide to chase prey across exposed mud. Females give birth to live young near mangrove root systems.
Range
Common in coastal habitats from eastern India and Bangladesh through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and northern Australia. The species has adapted well to disturbed estuaries and is often abundant near fishing villages.
Find more snakes by letter
Dog-faced Water Snake starts with D and ends with E. Browse other snakes along the same letter.
Snakes that contain a letter from "Dog-faced Water Snake":