Ecophysiological Aspects of the Coastal-Estuarine Distribution of Acrochordid Snakes

The Acrochordidae consists of three congeneric species of aquatic snakes distributed among fresh water and coastal marine environments in tropical southern Asia. The smallest species,Acrochordus granulatus, is euryhaline and the only acrochordid that permanently inhabits coastal seas and estuaries. The diving and metabolic physiology of this species is highly specialized and reflects the demands of estuarine environments. A capability for prolonged aerobic diving is attributable to low rates of oxygen consumption, high capacity for oxygen storage, nearly complete utilization of the oxygen stores, and cutaneous gas exchange. Recent studies indicate thatA. granulatus is primarily ammonotelic and requires a source of fresh water for elimination of nitrogenous wastes. The requirement for fresh water potentially limits seaward migration of populations due to the dependence of snakes on rivers or coastal rainfall. Adaptations for shallow-water diving conceivably further limit seaward migration, with the result that they have evolved as estuarine specialists that are restricted from deeper waters and the open ocean.