Fordonia
Sign in to saveFordonia is a genus of aquatic snakes in the family Homalopsidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Fordonia leucobalia, commonly known as crab-eating water snake and white-bellied mangrove snake. It is a common resident of mangrove swamps and tropical tidal wetlands from the coast of Southeast Asia to Indonesia and the coasts of Northern Australia.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- monotypic taxon
- Parent taxon
- Homalopsidae
- Image
- Homalopsis leucobalia - kop - 1837 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam - UBA01 IZ12000195 (cropped).tif
Show 5 more facts
- taxon author citation
- Gray, 1842
- taxon name
- Fordonia
- taxon rank
- genus
- taxon common name
- Crab-eating Water Snake
- Commons category
- Fordonia
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Fordonia is a genus of aquatic snakes in the family Homalopsidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Fordonia leucobalia, commonly known as crab-eating water snake and white-bellied mangrove snake. It is a common resident of mangrove swamps and tropical tidal wetlands from the coast of Southeast Asia to Indonesia and the coasts of Northern Australia.
Individual F. leucobalia reach up to a meter in length, and are brown or gray in color with a white belly. There is significant color variation. Some have spots. The anatomy reflects the snake's water-living lifestyle: the eyes are located atop the head, and the nostrils have valves that close when the snake dives.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Fordonia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.