wart snake

wart snake
either of two stout, nonvenomous snakes of the family Acrochordindae, ranging from southeastern Asia to northern Australia, and having the skin covered with wartlike, three-pointed scales.
[1875-80]

* * *

▪ snake family
      (genus Acrochordus), any of three species of fish-eating aquatic snakes occurring from southern Asia to northern Australia, constituting the family Acrochordidae, which is sometimes considered a subfamily of the Colubridae. Wart snakes have thick bodies, loose skins, tiny pyramidal scales that extend across the belly, and valves that close the nostrils when under water.

      The Java wart snake, or elephant's-trunk snake (A. javanicus), is a brown snake that can grow up to 2.9 metres (9.5 feet) long and is found in rivers and coastal waters of Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Observations of captive wart snakes have shown that the rough filelike skin serves to grip fish, which are then quickly swallowed.

      The little wart snake, A. granulatus, is somewhat smaller and has a finlike keel of skin on its belly. It ranges from southern Asia to the Solomon Islands. A third type, the Arafura filesnake (A. arafurae), occurs in northern Australia and in New Guinea.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wart snake — Wart Wart, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wart snake — noun : any of several nonvenomous East Indian snakes constituting the family Acrochordidae, being covered with wartlike tubercles or spinose scales, and usually lacking cephalic plates and ventral scutes * * * either of two stout, nonvenomous… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Wart — Wart, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the skin… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wart cress — Wart Wart, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wart spurge — Wart Wart, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • snake — snakelike, adj. /snayk/, n., v., snaked, snaking. n. 1. any of numerous limbless, scaly, elongate reptiles of the suborder Serpentes, comprising venomous and nonvenomous species inhabiting tropical and temperate areas. 2. a treacherous person; an …   Universalium

  • Fig wart — Wart Wart, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Moist wart — Wart Wart, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pointed wart — Wart Wart, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • venereal wart — Wart Wart, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”