Acrochordus
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The Acrochordidae, commonly known as wart snakes,[1] Java wart snakes,[2] file snakes, elephant trunk snakes, or dogface snakes are a monogeneric family of snakes.[1] The sole genus Acrochordus are basal aquatic snakes found in Australia and tropical Asia, with three species recognized.[2]
Description
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All are entirely aquatic, lacking the broad belly-scales found in most other snakes and possessing dorsally located eyes. Their most notable feature is their skin and scales. The skin is loose and baggy, giving the impression of being several sizes too large for the snake, and the scales, rather than overlapping, possess tiny pyramidal projections that led to their common names. Adults grow to between Script error: No such module "convert". in length.
This type of snake are ambush predators, lurking at the bottom of rivers, streams and estuaries, and waiting for fish to approach, which they grip with their coils. The rough scales allow them to hold the fish despite the mucus coating.
Geographic range
Found from western India and Sri Lanka through tropical Southeast Asia to the Philippines, south through the Indonesian island group to Timor, east through New Guinea to the northern coast of Australia to Mussau Island, the Bismarck Archipelago and Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands.[3]
Relation to humans
These animals are rapidly becoming rare as their hides are used for handbags and leather (stripped of scales, of course). Numerous attempts have been made by both zoos and private reptile collectors to keep them, but in all cases, they have been reluctant to feed and prone to skin infections.
Species
| Common name | Scientific name | IUCN Red List Status | Distribution | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arafura file snake[4] | Acrochordus arafurae McDowell, 1979 |
Template:IUCN status[5] | New Guinea and northern Australia. | File:Arafura file snake (Acrochordus arafurae) in captivity.jpg |
| Little wart snake[6] | Acrochordus granulatus (Schneider, 1799) |
Template:IUCN status[7] | Peninsular India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, the Andaman Islands, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and coastal northern Australia. | File:File snake (Acrochordus granulatus).jpg |
| Elephant trunk snake[8] | Acrochordus javanicus Hornstedt, 1787 |
Template:IUCN status[9] | Southeast Asia from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, south through Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (Sumatra, Java and Borneo). | File:AcrochordusJavanicusRooij.jpg |
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References
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- ↑ Species Acrochordus arafurae at The Reptile Database. Accessed 16 August 2007.
- ↑ Template:Cite iucn
- ↑ Western Australian Reptile Species at Frank O'Connor's Birding Western Australia. Accessed 20 September 2007
- ↑ Template:Cite iucn
- ↑ Species Acrochordus javanicus at The Reptile Database. Accessed 16 August 2007.
- ↑ Template:Cite iucn
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External links
- Acrochordidae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 3 November 2008.
- Acrochordus.com. Accessed 3 November 2008.
- Acrochordids at Life is Short but Snakes are Long
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