''Acrochordus arafurae'', known by the common names Arafura file snake, elephant trunk snake, and wrinkle file snake, is an aquatic

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

found in northern Australia and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. No subspecies are currently recognized. This snake was first described by Samuel Booker McDowell in 1979

Description

Adults grown to 8.25 ft (2.5 m) in length.Burnie D, Wilson DE. 2001. Animal. Dorling Kindersley. 624 pp. . They have very loose skin and are known to prey on large fish, such as eel-tailed catfish. Females are usually larger than males and they have been known to give birth to up to 17 young. The skin is used to make drums in

In Aboriginal language and culture

Arafura file snakes are often hunted by indigenous peoples of Northern Australia. In the Kunwinjku language of West Arnhem Land, the snakes are known as ''kedjebe'' (or ''bekka'' in Eastern dialects), while in the Yolŋu language of East Arnhem Land they are called ''djaykuŋ'', among other names.

References

External links

Acrochordus.com
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at ''Life is Short but Snakes are Long'' Acrochordidae Snakes of Australia Reptiles of Western New Guinea Reptiles of Papua New Guinea Reptiles described in 1979 Snakes of New Guinea {{Alethinophidia-stub ru:Яванская бородавчатая змея