Tentacled Snake

Tentacled Snake (Erpeton tentaculatum) is a snake recorded for Vietnam in the project inventory. Its supporting occurrence note is “Expert range list”. The accepted scientific name is retained because regional snake taxonomy and species boundaries can change, while similar-looking species may require scale counts, anatomy or genetic evidence for reliable separation. This profile therefore distinguishes the recorded identity and occurrence from broader biological context instead of inventing unsupported locality, size, diet or breeding details (project species data; Reptile Database taxonomy).

Erpeton is an aquatic homalopsid lineage distinguished by paired flexible projections at the front of the snout. The tentacles help the snake sense nearby movement while it waits underwater for fish, and a rapid sideways strike intercepts escaping prey. It inhabits still or slow fresh water and bears live young. These are general species-level characteristics rather than observations from a particular Vietnamese site, so exact measurements, litter size and local habitat details are omitted (general Erpeton account; Reptile Database).