Material Examined : 1 adult.

Description & Scalation : Body stout, compressed; skin loose. Head not broader than neck, covered with small, granular scales. Nostrils valve-like, directed upwards, situated on upper surface of the snout; rostral very narrow, not visible from above. Eye very small with round pupil; 11-12 scales on a line between the eyes. Scales small, very rough; about 100 scales around midbody; large series of scales on the lips separated from the border of the mouth by smaller scales; no widened ventrals; a fold of skin along the middle of the belly covered with small spinous scales; tail short and compressed.

Coloration : Dark blackish-brown above, with a series of 52-54 dull white narrow cross-bars on body and 7-8 on the tail, these cross-bars widened on sides and venter. Head blackish-brown with dull white spots. These markings may become indistinct with the age.

Natural History : Nocturnal in habits. A non-aggressive aquatic snake, almost helpless on land. Mainly found along mangrove-lined waterways, shallow costal waters and tidal rivers. One indivisual was observed in a shallow water channel, between coast and mangroves at about 2030hrs at low tide, in North Wandoor, South Andaman Islands. Feeds on fish. Bears 6-12 live young at a time. Grows up to 1.3m.

Distribution - India : Occurs on both coasts and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Elsewhere : Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and much of southeast Asia.

External link : http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Acrochordus&species=granulatus