Asian pipe snake
The Asian pipe snake is a unique species known for being the longest of the pipe snakes, consistently growing to a length of at least three feet (one meter). These snakes are characterized by their glossy black scales and primarily inhabit damp environments such as rice fields, swamps, and marshy lowlands in Indo-China. They are skilled diggers, spending much of their time constructing burrows and navigating through the soil, using their tongues to pick up chemical signals that aid in locating prey, detecting predators, and finding mates.
As carnivorous reptiles, Asian pipe snakes prefer a diet of eels and other snakes but will also consume lizards, insects, and amphibians. Their unique reproductive strategy is ovoviviparity, meaning the female retains her eggs internally until they hatch, giving birth to live young. To protect themselves from threats, these snakes exhibit a fascinating defensive behavior by coiling around their heads and raising their tails to mimic their heads, allowing them to safely survey their surroundings. Asian pipe snakes can live for at least 12 years, showcasing their resilience in their natural habitat.
Subject Terms
Asian pipe snake
Asian pipe snakes are the longest pipe snakes. They always grow to be at least three feet (one meter) long.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Aniliidae
Genus: Cylindrophisus
Asian pipe snakes have glossy black scales covering their bodies. They live in the damp soil, rice fields, swamps, and marshy lowlands of Indo-China and grow to be three feet (one meter) long. Although all pipe snakes grow to be about three feet (one meter) long, Asian pipe snakes are actually the longest of the pipe snakes, because they always grow to be at least three feet (one meter) long.
Asian pipe snakes spend most of their time digging through the mud and earth building their burrows, or underground tunnel systems. As they slide through the dirt, they flick their tongues to learn about their surroundings. Like other snakes, Asian pipe snakes pick up chemical signals with their tongues. They place these signals in a special organ on the roof of their mouths. These organs tell the snake which chemicals are in the environment. This information helps Asian pipe snakes to trail prey, recognize predators, and find mates.
Asian pipe snakes are carnivorous, or meat-eating snakes. They especially like eating eels and snakes, although they also include a variety of lizards, insects, and amphibians, such as frogs, in their diets. Once their prey is dead, Asian pipe snakes slide over their prey with their mouths wide open and swallow their prey whole.
Female Asian pipe snakes are ovoviviparous. This means they produce eggs, but instead of laying the eggs, they let the eggs incubate within their bodies, and the young hatch out of the eggs before they are actually born. The term ovoviviparous is usually used for animals, such as reptiles, which otherwise would have been laying eggs.
Asian pipe snakes protect themselves by coiling their bodies around their heads and sticking their tails up in the air. In this twisted position, their tails look as though they are actually their heads. The snakes wiggle them as if they were looking from one side to the next. Sometimes these snakes may even make their tails appear to strike at something. This process keeps their heads protected and gives them time to look around for a good escape.
The average life span of Asian pipe snakes is at least 12 years.