Arafura File Snake

This Australian snake is very interesting. The Arafura file snake belongs to a family of only three species of snakes, which are poorly known. It is a relative of boas and pythons, but it leads a totally aquatic existence. Infact, when out of water, this snake is helpless. Some adaptions that help it live in the water are: absorbing oxygen through the skin, rough, file -like scales (notice the scales on the picture!) and amazingly loose skin that help it grip fish (main prey), a prehensile tail to help grip onto aquatic plants, and enlarged tracheal lungs. The tracheal system is another way of pocessing oxygen besides using "ordinairy" lungs, and mostly insects use it. I won't explain in further detail, because the subject still confuses me! Anyway, this snake's habitat is in rivers, lakes, swamps, and large ponds in Southern New Guinea and Northern Australia. It can also be found along coasts, most commonly in mangrove forests. The Arafura file snake rests on the bottom by curling it's prehensile tail around aquatic plants. In the daytime, it is relatively slow and sluggish, and hunts mostly at night.