Myrrophis chinensis (Gray, 1842) is a animal in the Homalopsidae family, order null, kingdom Animalia. Not known to be toxic.

Photo of Myrrophis chinensis (Gray, 1842) (Myrrophis chinensis (Gray, 1842))
🦋 Animalia

Myrrophis chinensis (Gray, 1842)

Myrrophis chinensis (Gray, 1842)

Myrrophis chinensis, the Chinese water snake, is a small aquatic snake from East Asia harvested for food, skins, and traditional medicine.

Family
Genus
Myrrophis
Order
Class
Squamata

About Myrrophis chinensis (Gray, 1842)

Myrrophis chinensis (Gray, 1842), also referred to as Enhydris chinensis and commonly known as the Chinese water snake, is a relatively small snake that can reach a total length of up to 80 cm (31 in), including its tail. This species is found across China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. As its common name implies, the Chinese water snake is a highly aquatic species, and it adapts well to human-altered environments such as fish pools and rice paddies. Myrrophis chinensis is harvested for food and skins, though this harvest is not considered a threat to its overall populations. It is also used in folk medicine, and it is commonly used to produce Chinese snake oil.

Photo: (c) Artur Tomaszek, all rights reserved, uploaded by Artur Tomaszek

Taxonomy

Animalia Chordata Squamata Homalopsidae Myrrophis

More from Homalopsidae

Sources: GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, NCBI Taxonomy · Disclaimer

Identify Myrrophis chinensis (Gray, 1842) instantly — even offline

iNature uses on-device AI to identify plants, animals, fungi and more. No internet needed.

Download iNature — Free

Start Exploring Nature Today

Download iNature for free. 10 identifications on us. No account needed. No credit card required.

Download Free on App Store