Antenna snake
| Antenna snake | ||||||||||||
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Antenna snake (Erpeton tentaculatum) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Erpeton | ||||||||||||
| Lacépède , 1800 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Erpeton tentaculatum | ||||||||||||
| Lacépède, 1800 |
The antenna snake ( Erpeton tentaculatum ) also tentacle snake is a snake from Southeast Asia. It is named after the two feelers on the front of the head, which are used to locate prey fish and are a unique feature of snakes. The antenna snake is the only species in the genus Erpeton .
description
Antenna snakes are a relatively small type of snake with a length of 50 to 90 cm. They come in two variants , striped or spotted, with the color of both variants ranging from dark gray or brown to light brown.
The most striking feature are the two scaly, antennae-like, 1.3 to 1.9 cm long appendages on both sides of the mouth.
Antenna snakes have the rear furrow venom teeth typical of false snakes. They are only slightly toxic to humans.
habitat
Feeler snakes can be found in Thailand , Cambodia, and South Vietnam , in the murky waters of lakes, rice fields, and slow-flowing rivers. It occurs in fresh , salt and brackish water . An exemplary habitat is the Tonle Sap in Cambodia.
behavior
Antenna snakes are live-giving birth water snakes with up to ten young in one litter.
They live almost exclusively in water and can dive for up to 30 minutes without gasping for air. On land they can only move awkwardly. If the water level falls during the dry season, they dig themselves into the mud if necessary until the rainy season restores their habitat.
Feeler beats feed almost exclusively on fish that they capture with an innate fishing technique. The snake lies in wait for its prey with its front body curved in an arch, floating like a plant stem in the water, motionless. If a prey fish comes within range, the snake triggers the flight reflex of its prey by a muscle twitch opposite its head, which drives it directly into its mouth. The two sensors make it possible to locate the prey even in poor visibility in murky water.
Web links
- Erpeton tentaculatum inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted By: Murphy, J., Brooks, SE & Bain, RH, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- Erpeton in The Reptile Database
- Sensor snakes at the Toronto Zoo
literature
- Kenneth C. Catania, Sarah Frances Brosnan: Born Knowing: Tentacled Snakes Innately Predict Future Prey Behavior. In: PLoS ONE. 5, 2010, p. E10953, doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0010953 .