Tentacled Snake

Tentacled Snake

Erpeton tentaculatum

Eats

They mostly eat fish, but can eat crabs and frogs in a pinch.

Lives

Tentacled Snakes live throughout Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. They prefer fresh or brackish water, streams, ditches, sloughs, and rice paddies. They can be found in any slow moving or stagnant water with vegetation at the waterline.

Behavior

Diurnal and solitary

Description

Tentacled Snakes are purely aquatic snake as they cannot move well on land. They still do breathe air, coming up for a big breathe every 30 minutes! They are very flat and have two scaly tentacles protruding from their face, giving them their name. The tentacles help to detect the presence of other animals, predator or prey. Tentacled Snakes have very rough, keeled scales and dark natural coloration to help them look like a waterlogged stick. This helps them hide from predators, but also helps them hide from prey. They are ambush hunters, meaning they stay very still, only using small waves in their bodies to push the fish towards their mouth before they strike.

Did you Know?

Mill Mountain Zoo is home to many animals who wouldn't survive being released into the wild or are at risk of extinction.

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Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Vulnerable
Vulnerable
Endangered
Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Extinct in the Wild
Extinct in the Wild
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