Fun Kapuas Mud Snake Facts For Kids

The Kapuas mud snake (Enhydris gyii) is a species of snake (Farancia abacura) from the Homalopsidae family native to Borneo. It is a non-venomous snake. In 2005, this snake's color change was accidentally discovered when a specimen was put in a dark bucket. A new species of Enhydris gyii from the Kapuas river was found by the western Kalimantan, Indonesia says Mark Auliya. It changes color just in few minutes. It's a chameleon snake found in swampy lowlands and dense forests, and they usually inhabit wet regions where they bury themselves in mud.                                                        

This snake is named after the Kapuas river. Their average length is 36-48 in (91.4-122 cm). Its body color varies from bluish to glossy black and the lower side of its body is red and black, making bars towards the upside of reddish to pinkish color. Their mating system is polygynous. The mud snakes reach their sexual maturity at two and a half years and their gestation period is between 37-80 days. Their average living time on earth is around 19 years. They can lay between 6-104 eggs at a time.

Read on to learn more, and also, get to know interesting facts about sea snakes and rattlesnakes.

What type of animal is a Kapuas mud snake?

This mud snake is a native species from Borneo. This reptile shows the property of a chameleon snake which changes color in just a few minutes later after putting it in a dark bucket, reported in Kalimantan, Indonesia, according to Mark Auliya.

What class of animal does a Kapuas mud snake belong to?

The Kapuas mud snake (Enhydris gyii), native to Borneo, is a non-venomous snake from the Homalopsidae family is native to Borneo and from the Reptilia class.

How many Kapuas mud snakes are there in the world?

Kapuas mud snake (Enhydris gyii) refers to the largest snake family Homalopsidae native to Borneo, which is found in every continent except Antarctica. Thus, their population size is unknown. Their average conservation status is not extinct. This reptile species has a very stable population count.

Where does a Kapuas mud snake live?

The mud snake native to Borneo is found in swampy forests, the edge of streams in the southern United States from southern Virginia south throughout Florida, and western to eastern Texas. The Enhydris gyii are generally found in these regions of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia of North America in the United States.

What is a Kapuas mud snake's habitat?

This species of mud snake (Enhydris gyii), native to Borneo, are generally found in every continent. In 2006 new species of two specimens of the Farancia abacura (mud snake) were discovered in the swampy forests of Indonesia's Betung Kerihun National Park. They are semi-aquatic reptiles, including seasonal wetlands, ditches, Carolina bays, cypress swamps, marshes, slow-moving streams, and the heavily vegetated margins of lakes and ponds.

Who do Kapuas mud snakes live with?

This mud snake generally maintains its distance from other species. They are solitary reptiles like coral snakes.

How long does a Kapuas mud snake live?

The average lifespan of a Kapuas mud snake, Enhydris gyii, is about 19 years. This snake species is named after the Kapuas river in western Kalimantan, Indonesia, and is found in swampy forests, river streams, ponds to burrow themselves.

How do they reproduce?

In Kapuas mud snakes, the mating season is March to April, specifically in Florida, and  July to September in any other region. These species breed once a year, that is, one clutch per year. The mud snakes reach their sexual maturity at the age of two and a half years. They follow the polygynous mating system, which means the male snake can mate with more than one female snake at a time. These chameleon snakes are viviparous. After mating, the gestation period lies between 37-80 days. These snakes mate in three different phases: tactile-chase, tactile-alignment, and intromission-coitus. The snakes attract each other by the pheromones in their body. In this species, the mother snake provides parental care pre-hatching then lays eggs from 6-104, in which the average number of offspring is 27. The baby snakes are independent of the day of hatching.

What is their conservation status?

The mud snake is highly distributed throughout the world. They are more like solitary snakes thus stay away from any other species. They burrow themselves in the mud, ponds, streams. They are not extinct as their population has a moderate value. Yet, their IUCN status is Data Deficient.

What does Kapuas mud snake look like?

The Kapuas mud snake is native to Borneo and was discovered as new species in Kalimantan, Indonesia, as a semi-aquatic, mildly venomous snake. It has smooth scales with bluish-black color on its body's upper side, which varies to different colors. The lower part of its body is colored red black with pinkish-red bars, which grows towards the upper side with some patterns and vibrant coloration. The male snakes have a longer tail than the female. In contrast, the female snakes are thicker than the male snakes. The mud snakes can change color in a few minutes if they are kept in the dark bucket as discovered in Kalimantan, Indonesia's Betung Kerihun National Park, says Mark Auliya. This report proves that this species is a chameleon snake.

* Please note that this is an image of a green snake which is similar to the parent breeds of mud snake. If you have an image of the Kapuas mud snake, please let us know at [email protected].

How cute are they?

These snakes are average size, mildly venomous snakes native to Borneo, named after Kapuas river found in fresh ponds, swampy forests, and not-so-aggressive species are not so cute in looks. They are chameleons that can change their color, as discovered in Kalimantan, Betung Kerihun National Park.

How do they communicate?

These species native to Borneo, Kalimantan are chameleon snakes. They change color according to their surroundings. The report discovered new species of two specimens in Kalimantan, Indonesia, may be able to express themselves. They can attract the opposite sex of snakes by their body pheromones. There is no such report telling that how they communicate.    

How big is a Kapuas mud snake?

The Kapuas mud snake, named after Kapuas river, native to Borneo, is 36-48 in (91.4-122 cm) long, which is very similar in size to the black rat snake, which is 3.3-6.6 ft ( 1-2 m).

How fast can a Kapuas mud snake move?

This species was discovered in two specimens found in Kalimantan in the mud regions. It can change its color, which is a useful characteristic for escaping predators. They are very fast crawlers found in wet forests.  

How much does a Kapuas mud snake weigh?

The eggs of these snakes before hatching weigh 0.27-0.38 oz (7.9-11.0 g). The adult mud snakes are 36-48 (91.4-122 cm) long and get heavier. In contrast, female snakes weigh more than male snakes.

What are the male and female names of the species?

This reptile was discovered as new species in Kalimantan that has no particular names for female and male snakes.

What would you call a baby Kapuas mud snake?

A baby mud snake would be called a snakelet.

What do they eat?

They feed on typical small land carnivorous animals. They eat frogs, tadpoles, sirens, amphiumas, and occasionally fishes too, like a rainbow snake.

Are they poisonous?

These snakes are mildly venomous or non-venomous. The Western Taipan has the deadliest venom, unlike the Louisiana mud snake which is non-venomous.

Would they make a good pet?

Although this species has many characteristics of being within touch of humans, they are typically picky in their food, so they are not a good option to keep as pets.

Did you know...

Mud snakes are known as ouroboros as per the myth, and they are also called 'hoop snakes.'

Is there a snake that can change color?

Yes, the Kapuas mud snake is a species native to Borneo which can change its color, and was reported as new species in Kalimantan. It is very rare for a cobra to change colors like other reptiles.

Can snakes camouflage like a chameleon?

Yes, the Kapuas mud snake is called a chameleon snake that can change its color (camouflage) like any other camouflaging species. It is not common, however.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these sea snake fun facts and kingsnake interesting facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Kapuas mud snake coloring pages.

*Please note that the main image is of a Western mud snake, not a Kapuas mud snake. If you have an image of a Kapuas mud snake, let us know at [email protected].