Acrochordus arafurae

Acrochordus arafurae is an aquatic snake species found in northern Australia and New Guinea. No subspecies are currently recognized.[3]

Acrochordus arafurae

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Acrochordidae
Genus: Acrochordus
Species:
A. arafurae
Binomial name
Acrochordus arafurae
McDowell, 1979
Synonyms
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Boulenger, 1893
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Flower, 1899
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Wall, 1903
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Lidth de Jeude, 1911
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Barbour, 1812
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Boulenger, 1914
  • Acrochordus javanicus – de Rooij, 1917
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Kinghorn, 1929
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Thomson, 1935
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Barrett, 1950
  • Acrochordus javanicus – De Haas, 1950
  • Achrochordus javanicus – Mitchell, 1955
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Kinghorn, 1956
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Worrell, 1963
  • Achrochordus javanicus – Cogger, 1964
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Mitchell, 1964
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Dunson & Dunson, 1973
  • Acrochordus javanicus – Cogger, 1975
  • Acrochordus arafurae – McDowell, 1979[2]
Common names: Arafura File snake, Elephant Trunk Snake or wrinkle file snake.

Description

Adults grown to 8.25 ft (2.5 m) in length.[4] They have amazingly 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. In New Guinea the skin is used to make drums.

In Aboriginal language and culture

The indigenous peoples of northern Australia often hunt these snakes as they are quite common. As the snakes are near immobilized without the support of water the hunters merely throw each newly caught snake on the bank and continue hunting until they have enough.

In the Kunwinjku language of West Arnhem Land, the snakes are known as kedjebe (or bekka in Eastern dialects),[5] while in the Yolŋu language of East Arnhem Land they are called djaykuŋ,[6] among other names.

gollark: What was it anyway?
gollark: AAAAH TOO MANY
gollark: I took... um, one of them, I guess.
gollark: A xenowyrm. Everyone loves xenowyrms. Except people who don't. https://dragcave.net/teleport/4b5598b7623c2625f7cb118e5abb8a78Zyu of Slight Messiness: https://dragcave.net/teleport/efdf5f88803b0c23401eb984b17debaf
gollark: I saw someone gifting a thing and thought "I should gift a thing" so: 2G ash!https://dragcave.net/teleport/26b5db2b06e5728b29d519bbb91dbbffIf you take it, say so or demons shall tear apart the very threads of space and time underpinning the structure of the universe to hunt you down and force you to pay for your evil crimes.

References
  1. Sanders, K.; Guinea, M. & Cogger, H. (2010). "Acrochordus arafurae". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2010: e.T176764A7299709. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176764A7299709.en. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  2. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. "Acrochordus arafurae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
  4. Burnie D, Wilson DE. 2001. Animal. Dorling Kindersley. 624 pp. ISBN 0-7894-7764-5.
  5. Garde, Murray. "kedjebe". Bininj Kunwok Dictionary. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  6. "djaykuŋ". Yolŋu Matha Dictionary. Charles Darwin University. Retrieved 10 June 2020.


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