Kingdom Animalia Order Squamata Family Colubridae Scientific name Sinonatrix percarinata Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Suborder Serpentes Genus Sinonatrix Higher classification Sinonatrix | |
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Similar Sinonatrix, Sinonatrix annularis, Scaled reptiles, Opisthotropis, Cyclophiops | ||
Eastern water snake, olive keelback, or Chinese keelback water snake (Sinonatrix percarinata) is a species of snake from subfamily Natricinae.
Contents
Type locality: Guadun (formerly spelled as Kuatun), Wuyishan City (former Chongan County) in NW Fujian, China.
Subspecies
Subspecies Sinonatrix percarinata suriki is endemic to Taiwan where it occurs in the whole country.
Description
Sinonatrix percarinata is an aggressive snake that bites readily when caught, but it is not venomous. It is a medium-sized snake, typically 70–90 cm (28–35 in), but may grow up to 110 cm (43 in). Female lays 4 to 13 to 25 eggs.
Distribution and habitat
It is found in NE India (Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh), Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, S China (Hainan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei), Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It is an aquatic species associated with hilly areas.
Diet
It preys on shrimps, frogs (including tadpoles), and fish.