Wildlifeof India
Cat-eyed Fishing Snake
Keelbacks & Water Snakes
Photo: Ian Dugdale · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Gerarda prevostiana
Basic stats
Diet
Almost exclusively crabs
Habitat
Coastal areas
Range
Coasts from western India (Mumbai) to the eastern Philippines, including the Andaman Islands
Size
Total length about 41cm
The cat-eyed fishing snake, also called the cat-eyed water snake or glossy marsh snake, is the only species in the genus Gerarda, in the family Homalopsidae. It feeds almost exclusively on crabs, which it tears into bite-sized pieces by pulling them through its coils, unlike most snakes, which swallow prey whole (Wikipedia, general species account).
The body is uniform dark olive above, with the three outer rows of scales whitish, a white upper lip and whitish belly scales edged with dark. The total length is given as about 41 cm, including a 5 cm tail. It occurs in coastal areas between western India (Mumbai) and the eastern Philippines, and the Reptile Database lists coastal Maharashtra, northern Kerala and Gujarat.
Quick answers
- What does the Cat-eyed Fishing Snake eat?
- Almost exclusively crabs
- What habitat does the Cat-eyed Fishing Snake live in?
- Coastal areas
- Where is the Cat-eyed Fishing Snake found?
- Coasts from western India (Mumbai) to the eastern Philippines, including the Andaman Islands
- How big is the Cat-eyed Fishing Snake?
- Total length about 41cm