A Skinny Snake

What is the picture to my right? Is it an elephant trunk? Nope. It's indeed a snake. Understandably so, It is called the Elephant Trunk Snake. These kooky looking critters are like aquatic boas. Both their head and their tails are physically similar to a boa, aside from some extra skin. They can, amazingly, hold their breath under water for 40 consecutive minutes. When they do need air, like a whale's blowhole, the snake will align with the water and use its nostrils, located at the top of the head, and suck in 15 to 20 seconds of air and submerge. These snakes are crucial to their ecosystem. They are ambush predators, which means that they have a very fast strike speed. Their sharp, triangular scales are intended to keep their slippery amphibian or fishy prey from escaping while they squeeze the life out of them. They also make a delicious meal for a waiting bird or large fish.

These snakes get to be about 7.8 feet -females being typically twice as large as the males. In captivity, they can range from 5 to 20 years of age. However, old ones are rare in captivity, as they are usually easily stressed. They are nonvenomous, but their bites are supposed to be brutal. They are typically a greyish-brown color that coincides with their names. The elephant snake's skin is actually valuable, as well as their meat. Regardless of these two factors, elephant snakes are not endangered, and have an actually high population.
Elephant snakes prefer brackish water and the warm fresh water streams of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. They can be picked out of coastal rivers, streams, canals, lagoons, and estuaries.

Scientific Name: Acorochordus Javanicus

Baby

Links: http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/elephant_trunk_snake_facts/965/
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Snake-Species/Elephant-Trunk-Snake