VIDEO: Is this furry green dragon-like snake a fantastic beast?

National Geographic suggests that at least 3,000 species of snakes are found everywhere on the planet, except Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, and Greenland and they come in various colors, sizes, and bizarre appearances, such as the furry green snake found in Thailand.

Most snakes have scales, like reptiles, that regulate body temperature and trap moisture in arid climates. However, some snake species are mostly scale-less, and the furry green snake may be one of them.

Furry reptile

Tu, a resident of Thailand's Sakhon Nakhon province, came across a mystery furry snake in February. It was 2 feet long and had a frilly body that resembled fur as it moved underwater, Newsflare reported.

The 49-year-old local first discovered the snake while he was walking by his house and noticed it moving slowly through the murky water. Fascinated by the tiny dragon-like monster, he brought the snake home, placed it in an earthen water jar, and then showed his equally perplexed family members.

Waraporn Panyasarn, his 30-year-old niece, said that she had never seen a snake like that before. The family made the decision to alert others about the snake.

Panyasarn recorded the snake, uploaded its video to the internet, and waited for experts to identify the snake.

Puff-faced water snakes

The family fed it some fish to eat as they awaited identification from neighbourhood officials. Some locals speculate that the fuzzy snake might be a puff-faced water snake.

They suspected that the snake may have been waiting for its prey for so long in the shallow and rocky crevices area of the swamp that moss had begun to grow on its back.

According to Ecology Asia, the puff-faced water snake is a type of water snake that is mildly venomous and lives in freshwater areas like ponds, swamps, and streams in the forest. This species primarily eats small fish or frogs and exhibits nocturnal behaviour.

Puffin-faced water snakes are dark brown to black with hints of orange, red, or pale bands with black edging. Adults are plain brown or gray with less distinctive banding but a whitish belly and keeled body scales.

They can be distinguished by patterns on their broad head and can be found in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.