[3] This snake was first described by Samuel Booker McDowell in 1979[4][5] Adults grown to 8.25 ft (2.5 m) in length.

[6] They have very loose skin and are known to prey on large fish, such as eel-tailed catfish.

Females are usually larger than males and they have been known to give birth to up to 17 young.

Arafura file snakes are often hunted by indigenous peoples of Northern Australia.

In the Kunwinjku language of West Arnhem Land, the snakes are known as kedjebe (or bekka in Eastern dialects),[7] while in the Yolŋu language of East Arnhem Land they are called djaykuŋ,[8] among other names.