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Cerberus rynchops
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Homalopsidae
Genus:	Cerberus
Species:	C. rynchops
Binomial name
Cerberus rynchops (Schneider, 1799)
Synonyms[2]
Hydrus rynchops Schneider, 1799 Hydrus cinereus Shaw, 1802 Coluber cerberus Daudin, 1803 Python rhynchops — Merrem, 1820 Homalopsis cerberus — Fitzinger, 1826 Homalopsis molurus H. Boie, 1826 Homolopsis rhynchops — F. Boie, 1827 Cerberus cerberus Cuvier, 1829 Cerberus cinereus — Cantor, 1839 Cerberus rhynchops — Günther, 1864 Hurria rynchops — Stejneger, 1907 Cerberus rynchops — M.A. Smith, 1930

Cerberus rynchops, also known as the New Guinea bockadam, South Asian bockadam, bockadam snake, or dog-faced water snake, is a mildly venomous species of a snake in the family Homalopsidae.^[1][2] It is native to coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia.^[2] The species was re-delimited in 2012, allocating populations east and south of the west coast of Thailand to other species.^[3]

Ecology and behaviour

It is commonly found in mangroves, mudflats, streams, ponds, tidal pools, on algae patches, and has even been found burrowing into the mud.^{[citation needed]} It is rear-fanged and is mildly venomous.^{[citation needed]} An aquatic and nocturnal snake, it feeds mainly on fish and is known to consume eels.^{[citation needed]}

In captivity, it is observed to move in a sidewinding direction on land.^{[citation needed]} In the BBC series 'Life in Cold Blood' it was filmed adapting this sidewinding technique to jump across a mudflat in Singapore; up until then, no snakes were considered able to truly jump.^{[citation needed]} It also has a prehensile tail that would suggest it could climb mangrove trees.^{[citation needed]} It is now known to give birth to live young, numbering from 8 to 30, either in water or on land.^{[citation needed]}

It is a quite docile, mild-tempered and a hardy snake; in recent years it has become a welcome addition to snake hobbyists in the Philippines.^{[citation needed]} It also owes its popularity to its bright yellow to orange belly coloring, mostly of females.^{[citation needed]} In the Philippines, particularly in the Central Visayas area, this snake is commonly known as the "tangkig".^{[citation needed]}

Description

The visibility of upper jaw, giving it a dog-like appearance. Head long and distinct from neck. Eyes small and beady, with rounded pupils. Dorsum dark gray, with faint dark blotches and a dark line along the sides of the head, across the eyes. Center cream with two distinct rows of large, diffuse dark gray spots.^{[citation needed]}

Scales are distinctly keeled. Midbody scale rows 21–25. Ventrals 132–160. Subcaudals 49–72.^{[citation needed]}

Distribution and habitat

This is a saltwater-tolerant species found in India (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and northwestern Malaysia.^[2] The eastern limit of its distribution with Cerberus schneiderii is uncertain.^[3]

References

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. ("Cerberus rhynchops ", pp. 374–375).
• Karns DR, O'Bannon A, Voris HK, Weigt LA (2000). "Biogeographical implications of mitochondrial DNA variation in the Bockadam snake (Cerberus rynchops, Serpentes, Homalopsinae) in Southeast Asia". Journal of Biogeography 27: 391–402
• Schneider JG (1799). Historiae Amphibiorum naturalis et literariae. Fasciculus primus, continens Ranas, Calamitas, Bufones, Salamandras et Hydros. Jena: F. Frommann. xiii + 264 pp. + corrigenda + Plate I. (in Latin).

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20080823125843/http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Cerberus_rynchops.jpg
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080823125753/http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Cerberus_rynchops2.jpg
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080823125637/http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Cerberus_rynchops3.jpg
• http://biodiversitycapiz.blogspot.co.za/2013/02/dog-faced-water-snake.html
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070109093424/http://www.wildsingapore.per.sg/discovery/factsheet/snakedogfaced.htm
• http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/snakes/dog-faced_water-snake.htm