Species Details

@Myke Clarkson

Puff-faced Water Snake Did you see this animal?

Scientific Name : Homalopsis buccata
Family : Homalopsidae
Order : Squamata
Class : Reptilia
Phylum : Chordata
Other Name : Masked Water Snake
Habitat : Swamp,Pond,Forests,Streams
 
Description : Adults can grow up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) in length, but they are usually smaller. They have a dark brown or blackish dorsal side and a lighter ventral side with a keeled belly, which gives them their common name. Their body is cylindrical and slender, with a flattened head and narrow neck.
They have large eyes with round pupils, which suggest that they are primarily active at night. It is a semi-aquatic species that is usually found near water, such as streams, ponds, and marshes. They are good swimmers and can stay underwater for several minutes. They are also known to be nocturnal and are active at night, hunting for prey like frogs, fish, and other small animals. They are oviparous, meaning that they lay eggs, and their clutch size can range from 4 to 17 eggs. The eggs are laid in damp soil or leaf litter and take around 60 days to hatch.
Currently, Homalopsis buccata is listed as a species of "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which means that it is not considered to be in danger of extinction. However, habitat destruction and fragmentation due to human activities, such as deforestation and urbanization, may threaten their populations in the future.
 
Distribution in Bangladesh
References:
description written by: Zarin Tasnim,Department of Zoology,University of Dhaka ; information source:IUCN Red List Bangladesh-2015 and www.www.ecologyasia.com; photo credit: Myke Clarkson(www.inaturalist.org/people/Myke Clarkson), photo copyright: iNaturalist. more information please contact with us.