Final-community Guide 03 04

                           The      two    most       and is potentially very
                           commonly       found       d a n g e r o u s .
                           snakes in Noosa Shire      Examination of scale
                           are     the    highly      characteristics       is
                           venomous and very          necessary            to
                           aggressive   Eastern       distinguish from the
Brown (Pseudonaja textilis, see below) and its        harmless Keelback (pictured right).
less assertive (but still venomous) counterpart
                                                      TAIPAN (Oxyuranus scutellatus) average adult
the Red Bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis
                                                      length : 2.0m
porphyriacus, pictured above).
                                                      Distinguishing features:
Four dangerously venomous snakes are found in
                                                      The Taipan has solid
Noosa Shire.
                                                      body colour that can
EASTERN BROWN SNAKE (Pseudonaja                       be tan, yellowish-
textiles) Average adult length : 1.5 m                brown, dark brown to
                                                      almost black. The
Distinguishing features:
                                                      head is slightly coffin-
The almost uniform
                                                      shaped and usually
colour of the Eastern
                                                      paler than the rest of the body with the sides of
or Common Brown
                                                      the face sometimes white.
Snake can vary from
orange, through light                                 General information :
and dark brown, to                                    The Taipan is active during the day and feeds on
almost black on top. The belly is cream with          small mammals sometimes abundant in forested
dark, often orange blotches. The head is small        areas, it is also commonly found in sugar-cane
and blunt; young Eastern Browns often have            fields. It is a very fast-moving snake and will
dark head markings and may be banded.                 avoid human contact if it can. Disturbed the
                                                      Taipan may strike without hesitation and bite
General information :
                                                      repeatedly, injecting large quantities of its very
A swift-moving snake which feeds primarily on
                                                      toxic venom.
small mammals and reptiles. It is found in a
wide variety of habitats and is mainly active         COMMON DEATH ADDER (Acanthophis
during the day and on warm nights. Brown              antarcticus) average adult length : 0.7m
snakes possess very toxic venom. When
                                                      Distinguishing features:
approached the Eastern Brown will rear up and
                                                      Body       shape      is
hiss open-mouthed, striking high and biting
                                                      indicative of Death
repeatedly.
                                                      Adders because they
ROUGH-SCALED             SNAKE (Tropidechis           have a broad triangular
carinatus) - average adult length 0.8m.               head and narrow neck
                                                      attached to a short,
Distinguishing features:
                                                      stout body with a much thinner tail. Colour can
Scales ridged in the
                                                      vary considerably : shades of grey, brown, black
centre. Colouration
                                                      and sometimes red making up an irregular
olive to dark brown
                                                      pattern of dark edged blotches and bands.
above, usually with
narrow, dark, irregular                               General information :
bands which do not continue around to the             The thin tail is used as a lure. Death Adders will
belly, which is cream or grey with darker             lie hidden beneath the leaf mulch and wriggle
blotches. Also called the Clarence River Snake.       their tails, imitating worms. The snake is
N.B. Can easily be confused with the non-             difficult to see and not likely to move if lying
venomous         Keelback/Freshwater     Snake        concealed in your path. It has large fangs and
(Tropidonophis mairii)                                very toxic venom and is therefore considered
                                                      one of our most dangerous snakes.
General information:
Found quite frequently in vegetation in moist         Our thanks to Currumbin Sanctuary for use of
areas near water. It hunts frogs, lizards and mice,   information from its booklet :
mainly by night, but can also be active during        Selected Snakes of South East Queensland.
the day. If bitten, medical attention is essential    Thanks also to Fred Spinks for his advice.
as the venom can cause a range of symptoms            Snake photographs taken by Steve Wilson


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