Family : HOMALOPSIDAE
Species : Gerarda prevostiana
Maximum Size : 53 cm
This unassuming snake
inhabits coastal habitats, particularly mangroves, where it feeds on small
fish and soft-bodied crabs.
The dorsal surface is
generally brown in colour, but sometimes greyish. The lower scale rows and
ventral scales are white or pale yellow, as are the labial scales (those
lining the lips) and chin. As with other water snakes, such as the
Dog-faced Water Snake, the head is
barely distinct from the body, and the small eyes are located towards the
top of the head.
It ranges from India, Sri
Lanka and Bangladesh to Burma, Thailand, the Malay Peninsular and Singapore.
Figs 1 and 2 : 25 cm specimen from mangrove habitat,
Singapore. Thanks to Sohan Shetty
References : H1, H3
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