This is a widely distributed species of snake, currently recognized to occur in Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippine islands. In the Philippines this species occurs throughout most major faunal regions.
Widely distributed in the Philippines.
Southeast India, Orissa State
Alfaro et al. (2004) studied the phylogeny and phylogeography of the coastal marine colubrid (Homalopsinae) snake genus Cerberus, a group of rear-fanged water snakes found in Southeast Asia and Australia. Historically, three Cerberus species have been recognized: C. australis (from Australia), C. microlepis (known only from Lake Buhi in the Philippines), and the widely distributed C. rynchops (found from India to Wallacea). However, Allfaro et al. (2004) found that C. australis is highly divergent and probably needs to be excluded from the genus Cerberus to make it monophyletic. Murphy et al. (2012) recognized five Cerberus species: Cerberus rhynchops (southern Asia), C. schneiderii (Southeast Asia and Philippines), C. microlepis (Philippines), C. australis (Australopapuan region), and a newly described species from Micronesia, C. dunsoni.
The dangerously venomous Cerberus rynchops is associated with tidal mudflats and coastal mangrove forests in Southeast Asia. It is an edge species typically associated with mangrove forest and mudflats along the shores of brackish estuarine and marine coastal situations; however, it is euryhaline and may be found in freshwater as well. Although usually associated with coastal and estuarine mangrove forests and tidal mudflats, it has been reported in hypersaline environments (790 mm Cl) as well as freshwater streams and ponds (see references in Karns et al. 2000). The saltwater tolerance of C. rynchops has been investigated, revealing a rudimentary premaxillary salt gland and salt excretion, the only homalopsine snake known to possess a salt gland (see references in Karns et al. 2000). Dehydrated estuarine C. rynchops discriminate between salt and freshwater, but hydrated snakes do not show a preference for either fresh or saltwater when given an option. Cerberus rynchops is a generalist feeder, taking a variety of fish representing several families, as well as some crustaceans, and possibly frogs and tadpoles. Predators known to feed on C. rynchops include crabs, Tiger Sharks (Caracharhinus caustus), and several raptors, including White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeutus leucogaster), Brahminy Kite (Haliaster indus), and Pariah Kite (Milvus migrans) (Voris and Murphy 2002 and references therein)
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]
It is commonly found in mangroves, mudflats, streams, ponds, tidal pools, on algae patches, and has even been found burrowing into the mud. It is rear-fanged and is mildly venomous. An aquatic and nocturnal snake, it feeds mainly on fish and is known to consume eels.
In captivity, it is observed to move in a sidewinding direction on land. 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. It also has a prehensile tail that would suggest it could climb mangrove trees. It is now known to give birth to live young, numbering from 8 to 30, either in water or on land.
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. It also owes its popularity to its bright yellow to orange belly coloring, mostly of females. In the Philippines, particularly in the Central Visayas area, this snake is commonly known as the "tangkig".
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.
Scales are distinctly keeled. Midbody scale rows 21–25. Ventrals 132–160. Subcaudals 49–72.
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]
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. It is native to coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia. The species was re-delimited in 2012, allocating populations east and south of the west coast of Thailand to other species.
