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Family : HOMALOPSIDAE
Species : Enhydris longicauda
Maximum Size :
Females to 80 cm, males to 67 cm (Murphy, 2007)
Enhydris longicauda
(Long-tailed Mud Snake) is one of Cambodia's endemic snakes; it is only
known to occur in the vast seasonal lake of Tonlé Sap and its immediate
surrounds, which comprise part of the Mekong
River system.
It is almost entirely aquatic in habits, and it must contend with the
seasonal expansion of the lake, whose margins expand many kilometres into
neighbouring land during the latter part of the rainy season, particularly
in September and October.
The diet of Enhydris longicauda is known to include the Three-spot
Gouramy (Trichopodus trichopterus) (Voris & Murphy, 2002).
This species is exploited as a food source; it is trapped in huge numbers,
along with other mud/water snakes, to feed local people and, reportedly, farmed
crocodiles. A study in November 2019 concluded that of eight snakes
occurring in Tonlé Sap this was the species most unintentionally trapped by local
fishermen. Other bycatch included the Rainbow Water
Snake (Enhydris enhydris) (English et al, 2022).
The specific name 'longicauda' refers to its relatively long tail,
when compared to the shorter tails of other homalopsines.
Tail length is around 23-35% of snout-to-vent length. (Murphy,
2007)
Its dorsal surface is mottled blackish-brown and medium brown. Its
ventral surface is black, sometimes with yellow blotches; the black colour
extends onto the flanks in a regular series of dark patches.
Its head is somewhat depressed, and its small eyes are located towards the
top of the skull. Its snout is rounded.
Figs 1 and 2 : Typical examples harvested from
Tonlé Sap in January 2024. Photos thanks to Derek Clark.
Fig 3 : Aerial view of Tonlé
Sap taken in September 2015, in the latter part of the rainy season.
References :
Das, I., 2010. A Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-east Asia. New
Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.
English, M., Winters, K., Lasater, M., Dainty, M.,
Meyerhoff, M., & Wagner, P. (2022). A dry season glimpse of watersnake.
Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 38.
Murphy, J. C. (2007). Homalopsid Snakes. Evolution in the Mud (Kreiger,
Melbourne, FL). 250 pp.
Voris, H. K., & Murphy, J. C. (2002). The prey and predators of
homalopsine snakes. Journal of Natural History, 36(13), 1621-1632.
Links :
Wikipedia
- Tonlé Sap
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