The Kapuas mud snake is a native Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

 species of snakes that can change its epidermal color spontaneously. Named after the Kapuas River

Kapuas River

The Kapuas River is a river in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, at the geographic center of Maritime Southeast Asia. At in length, it is the longest river of Indonesia and one of the world's longest island rivers...

, the snake's chameleon

Chameleon

Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...

-like behaviour was discovered in 2005 accidentally when a specimen was put in a dark bucket. The snake's skin turned pale white 20 minutes later. Scientists determined the snake as a new species belongs to the Enhydris

Enhydris

Enhydris is a genus of slightly venomous colubrid snakes. Species include:* sea-leopard snake, Enhydris bocourti * Sind River snake, Enhydris chanardi Murphy & Voris, 2005...

genus. Like all Homalopsinae

Homalopsinae

Homalopsinae is a subfamily of Colubridae which contains some 10 genera and about 4 dozen species. They are typically stout-bodied water snakes, and all are mildly venomous. The genus Brachyorrhos may belong elsewhere...

, the 30 inches (76.2 cm) long snake is mildly venomous (rear-fanged) and viviparous.

External links

• http://animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?tid=2&did=22635