Kapuas mud snake

Kapuas mud snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Homalopsinae
Genus: Enhydris
Species: E. gyii
Binomial name
Enhydris gyii
Murphy, Voris & Auliya, 2005

The Kapuas mud snake (Enhydris gyii ) is a species of snake, native to Borneo, that can change its epidermal colour spontaneously.[1]

Etymology

The common name, Kapuas mud snake, refers to the Kapuas River. The specific name, gyii, is in honor of Burmese herpetologist Ko Ko Gyi.[2]

Colour change

The snake's chameleon-like behaviour was discovered accidentally in 2005 when a specimen was put in a dark bucket. The snake's skin turned pale white 20 minutes later.[3] Scientists determined the snake to be a new species belonging to the genus Enhydris.

Description

Like all members of the subfamily Homalopsinae, the 60 inches (150 cm) long snake is mildly venomous, rear-fanged, and viviparous.

References

Wikinews has related news: Chameleon snake discovered in Borneo
  1. Murphy, John C.; Harold K. Voris; Mark Auliya (31 Dec 2005). "A new species of Enhydris (Serpentes: Colubridae: Homalopsinae) from the Kapuas river system, West Kalimantan, Indonesia" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53 (2): 271–275. Retrieved 2006-06-27.
  2. Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins; Michael Grayson. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Enhydris gyii, p. 112).
  3. "Snake displays changing colours". BBC News. 26 June 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-09.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to: Enhydris gyii


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