Description:
Scientific name: Acrochordus javanicus
Life span: Up to five years in captivity
The elephant trunk snake, also known as the Javan file snake (Acrochordus javanicus), is a species of snake that belongs to the Acrochordidae family, which includes a number of prehistoric aquatic snakes that are not venomous. Instead of huge shields, the top of the head is covered in extremely tiny granular scales. No ventral scales are present. Around the body, there are around 120 rows of scales. The tail is short and prehensile, and the body is robust.
Native Region/Habitat
West of the Wallace Line, in South-East Asia, the elephant trunk snake can be found in southern Thailand, Singapore, Borneo, several Indonesian islands (Java, Sumatra), and potentially in Cambodia and Vietnam, though the IUCN has dismissed the last claim. The river systems, estuaries, and lagoons that make up the elephant trunk snake’s coastal habitat. Nonetheless, it favours brackish and freshwater settings.
Behavior:
The elephant trunk snake only emerges at night. It rarely visits land and spends the majority of its life underwater. It can remain submerged for up to forty minutes.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
Enclosure: A 150-gallon aquarium or bigger is required for adult elephant trunk snakes. This size gives the snake plenty of room to swim around and spread out. Keep baby elephant trunk snakes in a 15- to 30-gallon tank until they reach 20 inches in length. Half of the tank should be filled with water.
Temperature and Water Quality: Elephant trunk snakes prefer a temperature range of 84 to 86°F. To maintain a constant temperature, use a heater. These snakes are susceptible to stress and illness from changing temperatures. Make sure the water temperature is maintained at the proper level by checking it every day. Snake keepers should create a thermogradient in their tanks, with a hotter basking region. Ideal basking temperatures range from 88 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
In brackish water with a pH balance of 5 to 7.0, elephant trunk snakes flourish. To create a blackwater atmosphere, use dried leaves.
Food: Elephant trunk snakes must primarily be fed live fish because of their voracious appetites. Feed your snake occasionally to live amphibians, such as frogs. Elephant trunk snakes enjoy the flavour of tilapia as a food source. These fish are readily available in most neighborhood fish markets, are very nutrient-dense, and cost little. Guppies, mollies, huge bullfrog tadpoles, and convict cichlids are some more meals.
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