| Scientific Name: |
Erpeton tentaculatus |
| Range: |
Central and southern Thailand; southern Cambodia and
Vietnam. |
| Habitat: |
Ponds, rivers and streams |
| Natural Diet: |
Fish |
| Zoo Diet: |
Goldfish |
Physical
Characteristics: |
Tentacled snakes have a pair of fleshy tentacles on
their snout. Average length is 28-39 inches. A tentacled snake may be
light brown with darker stripes or very dark with lighter brown
blotches. |
| Behavior: |
Tentacled snakes are nocturnal (active at night). They
hunt by lying in the weeds in water, waiting for prey to swim by. |
| Reproduction: |
Females give birth to 5-13 live young underwater. |
| Notes: |
Tentacled snakes anchor themselves to a branch in the
water when they attack their prey. These snakes are totally aquatic and
almost helpless on land. When they are out of the water, their tentacles
fall to the side. Tentacled snakes are mildly venomous. Their bite may
subdue small prey, but it is harmless to humans. |
