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Context :

• Recently The Dog Faced Water Snake (Cerberus rynchops) has been recorded for the 1st time in Northeast India. It is far beyond its known coastal habitat.

About Dog-Faced Water Snake

• The Dog Faced Water Snake is a semi aquatic It is known for its mildly venomous nature.
• It is part of the Homalopsidae It also includes Indo Australian rear fanged water snakes.

Scientific Name: Cerberus rynchops

Distribution

• The species inhabits mangroves, coastal mudflats, & estuarine habitats across Southeast Asia & northern Australia.
• In India, it has been observed in coastal regions such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, & the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Recently, it was found in Northeast India. So it is extending its range away from coastal areas.
  
  

Lifestyle and Behavior

• Habitat: The Dog Faced Water Snake spends most of its life in water. It is well adapted to marine environments. It also has salt glands that help to expel salt.
• Diet: It hunts fish & crustaceans in shallow waters. It uses a sit and wait ambush strategy to catch its prey.

Physical Features

• Length: it can grow up to long.
• Appearance: it has a wide head & snout. That's why it gets its dog faced name.
• It has striped dark brown skin with a white underbelly.
• The snake is adapted for slow moving, shallow, & murky waters. It can swim well.
• On soft mud, it can move quickly using a sidewinding

Conservation Status

• The Dog-Faced Water Snake is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. it means that it is not currently at risk of extinction.

Source: TH