Dog-Faced Water Snake
Published on 12 Oct 2025
The dog-faced water snake (Cerberus rynchops) is a mildly venomous, semi-aquatic species typically found in coastal brackish waters.
They have been recorded for the first time in northeast India, with five individuals spotted in the floodplains of Assam's Nalbari district.
This is approximately 800 km inland from its known habitat along the Indian coast and nearby Bangladesh.
This sit-and-wait predator of fish and crustaceans has been documented along various Indian coastal regions but rarely inland, making this a significant and unexpected finding.
It is classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List.
