The geomortids are most closely related to the elapids, according to a recent molecular study. GEOMORTIDAE (Coquecigrues and sandflashes) Lizard-Eating Golden Sandflash ( Dunimors exuperyi) It swims with mighty sweeps of its giant, laterally flattened tail, and will cruise towards prey slowly, attacking from ambush. It particularly relishes large belt morays, and other serpentine sea-creatures, namely smaller paddlesnakes and draconet-monitor. It clamps onto its prey with sharp, barb-like teeth, and wraps its mighty, muscular coils around the prey, then, with movements of its relatively stiff madtsoiid jaws, it engulfs the victim. At 9 meters in length, it will, however, not simply subdue its prey with tearing bites as a crocodile so crudely does. A true sea serpent in every sense of the word, and found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, the meermad specializes in tackling large fish and small turtles. The largest madtsoiid, freshwater or otherwise, is the meermad ( Marinophis maritimus). Pickerel-snakes are the most common of the madtsoiids these sit-and-wait predators of fish can be found circumglobally in reptile-favorable climates The tailspot pickerel-snake ( Lepidesox ocellatus) is a separate lineage. Tailspot pickerel-snake ( Lepidesox ocellatus) Found in Vietnam, China and Japan, this snake uses its two distinctive barbels to grub for food in murky water. The qiulong ( Sinodracophis tentaculatus) is the largest freshwater madtsoiid. 3) Qiulong, Sinodracophis tentaculatus (eastern Asia) Greater Paddlesnake ( Regalecophis major) Paddlesnakes hunt down fishes in the water and can stage ambushes on the riverbank, but they are limited to small (or at least narrow) prey by the size of their mouths. Commonly known as paddlesnakes, Spec’s madtsoiids resemble nothing more than oversized freshwater sea snakes with large, leaf-shaped tail-tips to aid in swimming. Likewise, the madtsoiids still exist in modern-day Spec, filling a worldwide aquatic-snakes niche. On Home-Earth, madtsoiids seem to have died out between the end of the Cretaceous and the end of the Eocene (when the aptly named † Gigantophis, estimated to have reached the length of 30-33 feet, lived in North Africa), except in Australia, where they survived into the present day with Wonambi. They are represented in the fossil record of both timelines from the mid-Cretaceous, 100 million years ago. The madtsoiids are a strange group of archaic snakes, distinguished by a relatively inflexible skull (for a snake, that is!) and other skeletal differences, that managed to eke out a niche on Spec. Whether or not this is a direct result of the existence of giant reptiles, or more simply a vagary of nature, is still debatable. In addition, those snakes in Spec that make a living off being venomous tend to have unusually powerful or potent venom for their size. Spec has retained most ramifications of the snake family, but has also preserved some of the ancient lineages, and even brought forth unique divisions that do not seem to fit any group we know from our home world. Most still resort to incapacitating prey within their coils or finishing it off with their jaws. Of course, not all snakes are effectively venomous. The most conspicuous uniting feature of the Toxicofera is the presence of venom, and some snakes have evolved a sophisticated delivery apparatus for it, making the best use of their refined, diverse, and lethal biochemistry arsenal. More simply put, they are members of an important group that includes iguanas, monitors, and Gila monsters – and are venomous. Snakes are members of the Toxicofera branch of Squamata.
7.2 Forest Monarch ( Eulachesis grandis).6.2 Sangle ( Chromecharpophis seignollei).5.3 Couatl (Ophidiotrogon monteverdensis).5.2 Quetzalcoatl ( Aztecophis quetzalcoatl).5.1 Liana-Feather ( Phyllolianophis viridis).5 AZTECOPHIIDAE (Featherboas and the quetzalcoatl).
3.2 Coquecigrue ( Delicatophis ecarlatus).3.1 Lizard-Eating Golden Sandflash ( Dunimors exuperyi).3 GEOMORTIDAE (Coquecigrues and sandflashes).2.3 Tailspot pickerel-snake ( Lepidesox ocellatus).2.2 Qiulong ( Sinodracophis tentaculatus).2.1 Greater Paddlesnake ( Regalecophis major).
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