Java Wart Snake

(Acrochordus javanicus) Non-venomous

Description: Length male: up to 190cm, female: up to 290cm, up to 5 kg; small head-shields, 18 - 24 scales between the eyes; 22 - 36 supralabialia; 25 - 34 infralabialia; scales around the body center 120 - 150, whereby the dorsalia is the biggest, no ventral skin fold.

Colour: Olive or olive-brownish to gray-brown back, black vertebral stripe; pale yellow stripe followed by a black in spots dissolving stripe underneath the olive tone; yellowish-white belly with two or three rows of dark spots; tale backside unspotted.

Environment and behavior: The Java wart-snake lives in the sea, but preferably in brackish or fresh water. It feels comfortable in muddy conditions like klongs and swamps. At daytime, the animals usually hide between the roots of trees along the shore; they hunt at night time.

Reproduction: 18 - 40 offspring in one brood (one female was found with even 50 eggs). Dependent on the number, the average length is between 60 - 290 mm at a weight of up to 23 g.