Herpetologists recently sighted the dog-faced water snake for the first time in the floodplains at Garemara in western Assam’s Nalbari district.
It is a rear-fanged, mildly venomous, and semi-aquatic snake.
It is also known as the South Asian bockadam.
Appearance – Mottled grey and black colour.
It is well adapted to brackish water, due to their aquatic habitat they have nostrils placed higher upon their snout giving them a dog-like appearance.
They have salt glands below upper lip that discard excess salt acquired from the brackish water they consume.
Size – Grow up to one metre.
Diet– It is known to hunt for fish and crustaceans in shallow waters, using a sit-and-wait predatory strategy.
Habitat– Predominantly associated with coastal ecosystems, inhabiting mangroves, coastal mudflats, and estuarine habitats, Inland records of the species are rare.
Distribution - Across South, Southeast Asia, and parts of Australia002E
Indian coastal regions in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
