Northeast records first dog-faced snake

Dog-faced water snake recorded for the first time in the northeast, far from its known coastal habitat.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

GUWAHATI

The dog-faced water snake has been recorded for the first time in the northeast, far from its known coastal habitat.

Five individuals of the Cerberus rynchops, a rear-fanged, mildly venomous, and semi-aquatic snake were spotted in the floodplains at Garemara in western Assam’s Nalbari district. The spot is about 800 km from the nearest coast at Sonadia Island in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Division where the snake is found.

Guwahati-based herpetologist Jayaditya Purkayastha and a team of serpent rescuers comprising Pankaj Lochan Deka, Rajesh Dutta Baruah, Atul Kalita, Prasanna Kalita, and Madhab Medhi recorded the dog-faced water snake.

Their paper was published in the latest issue of Reptiles & Amphibians.

The dog-faced water snake is well adapted to brackish water and is known to hunt for fish and crustaceans in shallow waters, using a sit-and-wait predatory strategy.

Herpetologists have found the presence of this species in Assam intriguing as it is predominantly associated with coastal ecosystems, inhabiting mangroves, coastal mudflats, and estuarine habitats across South, Southeast Asia, and parts of Australia.

The study recommended further studies of the species’ dispersal pathways and ecological adaptability could provide valuable insights into its ability to exploit habitats beyond its typical range.

Dog-faced water snake recorded for the first time in the northeast, far from its known coastal habitat.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The Cerberus rynchops has been recorded along Indian coastal regions in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Inland records of the species are rare, the study said.

Role of snake rescuers

“The study, made possible through collaboration with local snake rescuers, underscores the need for their orientation and capacity building — not just for effective snake rescue operations but also for gathering crucial ecological data on species diversity, distribution, and seasonal patterns,” Dr Purkayastha, who heads a biodiversity NGO called Help Earth, told The Hindu.

“Snake rescuers are an untapped resource in biodiversity research. Through proper training, they can contribute immensely to scientific discoveries and conservation planning,” he said.

He advocated a well-structured long-term snake rescue action plan by integrating rescuers into a formal network, providing them with scientific training, standardised data collection protocols, and access to real-time monitoring tools.

“Such an initiative would not only enhance rescue efficiency and safety but also facilitate large-scale studies on human-snake conflict hotspots, migration trends, and seasonal activity patterns, thereby enabling evidence-based conservation strategies,” he said.

Snake rescuers and citizen scientists have been crucial in recording reptiles such as the Laudankia vine snake, venom-spitting monocled cobra, Bengalese kukri snake, and buff-striped keelback apart from studying their predatory activities.