Crab-eating Water Snake

Water & Mud Snakes

Fordonia leucobalia

Basic stats

Venom

Mildly venomous (rear-fanged, not dangerous to humans)

Diet

Crabs

Habitat

Mudflats and mangrove creeks

Range

Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia

Litter size

Live-bearing, 5–15 young (typical for mud snakes)

Gestation period

About 5–7 months (typical for mud snakes)

Size

Medium (up to 90cm)

Weight

~150–300g

A remarkable dietary specialist, feeding almost exclusively on crabs, with a distinctively blunt snout and unusual jaw structure adapted for handling hard-shelled prey rather than the more typical fish-and-frog diet of related water snakes.

Nocturnal, found on mudflats and in mangrove creeks, foraging in soft mud at low tide. Mildly rear-fanged venomous, of little concern to humans.

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