The color changing snake, one of the Kapuas mud snakes, is the first new snake species discovered in the past 5 years. It is a venomous snake that lives in the Kapuas River Basin in Borneo, Indonesia. Since 1996, a total of 361 new species have been discovered in Borneo, with an average of at least three new species discovered every month. species, and there are thousands more that have not been studied here. Occurs in wetlands and swampy areas along rivers and feeds mainly on rats and fish species. Living in various waters, mainly still waters, rarely found in still waters and slow-flowing irrigation canals.

1. Appearance characteristics of color-changing snakes

The total length of male snakes is 286-466mm, and the total length of female snakes is 306-504mm. According to the observation, the number of scales of the color-changing snake is: snout scales (1), nasal scales (1), forehead scales (2), frontal scales (1), top scales (2), nose scales (1 on each side), cheeks Scales (1 on each side), supraorbital scales (1 on each side), anterior temporal scales (1 on each side), mental scales (1), chin (4), dorsal scales (lines 19-19-17), preanal Scales (1); variable color, when they are caught and bagged, they turn to a light reddish-brown, but turn white after a while, apparently this snake can change with the environment The changes automatically change the color of the body.

2. Habits and characteristics of color-changing snakes

Color-changing snakes are mainly distributed in Borneo, one of the most important biodiversity centers in the world. A report released by the World Wildlife Fund on the 4th said that from July 2005 to September 2006, scientists in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei were responsible for a total of 22,000 square kilometers of tropical rainforest core areas in Borneo. Thirty species of fish, two species of tree frogs, sixteen species of ginger, three species of trees and one broadleaf plant were found.

The color-changing snake lives in a variety of waters, mainly in still waters, mainly in the swamps of Borneo, and rarely found in still waters or slow-flowing irrigation channels. Feeding starts in April every year, peaks in June, and stops in September; the food is mainly small frogs and tadpoles, followed by small fish. Secondary sex characteristics are mainly reflected in the longer ratio of male tails and correspondingly more scales under the tail; the secondary sex ratio (sex ratio at birth) is close to 1:1, and the tertiary sex ratio is in the case of a larger population It is also about 1:1 in the lower part of the population, and the statistics are about 0.5:1 in the case of a small population; the full length of female sexual maturity (based on the start of littering) is more than 350mm.

3. Feeding methods of color-changing snakes

Feeding

Like most water snakes in the serpent family, the color-changing snakes like to eat all kinds of freshwater fish, In addition to loach, it also likes yellow eel and various frogs. It should be fed on time according to the season that is easy to catch or the fattening of the color-changing snake, and try to diversify the types of bait to meet the needs of its body growth. Most water snakes have a strong appetite and need to feed every 4-5 days. Generally, each water snake weighing about 100-200 grams can swallow 1-2 small trash fish each time, and many can reach 3-4 . In addition, the color-changing snake is very courageous, and it does not affect the eating when someone is beside it during the swallowing process. Like other snakes, the snake also has the habit of lying still after eating. Don't disturb it too much at this time, otherwise it will spit out the food it has swallowed, which will inevitably delay the next eating time and reduce the amount of food that should be eaten. The food intake is extremely unfavorable to the growth of the color-changing snake, and the number of visits should be artificially reduced or strangers should be refused to visit.

Note

Most of the water snakes are venomous, but they are all post-molar venomous snakes. Their fangs can't bite people, so people think that water snakes are not poisonous. Most of the water snakes belong to the Serpentidae family, which is a kind of snake family that is transitioning from non-venomous snakes to venomous snakes. The color-changing snake is one of the venomous water snakes. Its toxin is the same neurotoxin as that of sea snakes, but much smaller. Neurotoxins are systemic poisons that target the nervous system, and their main feature is to inhibit the function of the nervous system and produce corresponding signs and symptoms of poisoning, which can be fatal in severe cases. Nerve agents and common organophosphorus pesticides belong to the same class of compounds, and their toxicity principles, clinical manifestations, prevention and treatment principles and first aid methods are basically similar. Although neurotoxins are often called nerve gases, they are liquid at room temperature.