TheHomalopsidae are a family of snakes which contains about 30genera and more than 50species. They are commonly known asIndo-Australian water snakes,mudsnakes, orbockadams. They are also known asular air (lit. "water snake") in Indonesian. They are typically stout-bodied water snakes, and all are mildly venomous. Two monotypic genera are notable for their unusual morphology:Erpeton possesses a pair of short, fleshy appendages protruding from the front of the snout, andBitia has uniquely enlargedpalatine teeth.Cerberus species have been noted to usesidewinding to cross slickmud flats during low tide.Fordonia andGerarda are the only snakes known to tear their prey apart before eating it, pulling soft-shelled crabs through their coils to rip them apart prior to ingestion.[1]
Bonaparte CL (1845). "Specchio generale dei sistemi erpetologico, anfibiologico ed ittiologico".Atti della Riunione degli Scienziati Italiani6: 376–378. (Homalopsidae, new family). (in Italian).
Goin CJ,Goin OB,Zug GR (1978).Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. xi + 378 pp.ISBN0-7167-0020-4. (Subfamily Homalopsinae, pp. 326–327).
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