the
deadly
dozen
Meet 12 dangerous
snakes that all call
Queensland home.
Queensland has 88 land snakes, and some
of them are considered capable of killing
humans.
One of them – the western taipan – carries
the reputation of having the most toxic
venom of any land snake in the world. But
never fear, the western or inland taipan is
only found in a pocket away from humans
near the Qld-SA border and is not known
to have killed anyone. In fact, the eastern
brown snake – found all over the state
– is responsible for the most bites. But the
coastal taipan – with the longest fangs of
any Australian snake and a reputation for
multiple, efficient strikes – is the most likely
to exact a lethal hit. As summer approaches,
expect to find more snakes lurking around
your home, bush and farmland.
But remember, if you leave snakes
alone, they won’t want to hurt you.
Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus)
Mulga Snake (Pseudechis australis)
Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus)
Western Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus)
Length: Grows to 2.9m
Length: 3m. Heavy built, it is Australia’s heaviest venomous snake
Length: Growing to 75cm, it has a stocky body
Length: Grows to 2m
Back colour: Light olive to dark russet brown, but sometimes dark
grey to black
Back colour: Varies from brown to olive-green
Back colour: Pale to very dark brown, often marked with dark flecks
Belly colour: Cream and unmarked
Back colour: Shades of grey to reddish brown, usually marked with
lighter bands
Belly colour: Cream, usually marked with orange or pink flecks
Head: Wide head
Belly colour: Greyish to cream
Head: Glossy black
Head: Lighter face with reddish eyes and angular brow
Found: Throughout most of Qld but it has declined in some coastal
areas including the south. Prefers dry open forests and grassland
Head: Arrow-shaped Tail: Tip is thin and ends with a short spine
Found: In a pocket between Boulia and Hamilton in far western Qld, in
the border region with South Australia. They live on the ashy downs of
Cooper Creek and the Diamantina and Georgina rivers
Found: Entire Qld coastal regions in open forests, dry closed forests,
coastal heaths, grassy beach dunes or open farm areas like cane fields
Venom: An aggressive species, it is the third most toxic land snake in
the world, with potent neurotoxic venom, and has killed many people
Venom: The largest venom output of any snake, it is a ready biter
responsible for human deaths.
Found: Eastern Qld from Townsville to the border and central interior,
excluding far north. Lives in wet and dry eucalypt forests, woodlands
and coastal heaths
Venom: An ambushing predator, it conceals itself motionless in leaf
litter and has been responsible for human deaths. Effective bites can
result in paralysis that may be fatal
Belly colour: Mustard yellow and may have orange flecks
Venom: The world’s most venomous land snake with a venom three
times as toxic as the coastal taipan. There have been no human deaths
to date. All recorded bites have been to snake handlers
Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis)
Collett’s black Snake (Pseudechis colletti)
Tiger snake (Notechis scutatus)
Western Brown Snake (Pseudonaja nuchalis)
Length: Grows to 2m
Length: Heavily built, it grows to about 1.5m
Length: Solidly built, it grows to 2m
Length: grows to 1.6m
Back colour: May be any shade of brown but also grey or black.Some
are even banded
Back colour: Reddish brown to black with large cream-to-reddish
blotches forming irregular bands
Back colour: Usually olive green to brown with numerous “ragged”
crossbands
Back colour: Highly variable. Can be any shade of brown and may be
plain, but often patterned with darker flecks or bands.
Belly colour: Typically cream with pink or orange spots
Belly colour: Reddish to cream
Belly colour: Cream to grey
Belly colour: Cream with orange or grey spotting
Juveniles: May be plain or banded and have distinctive head markings
– a black blotch on the crown and a dark neck band
Found: Central western Qld, in open grasslands and woodlands on
cracking grey clays of the Mitchell Grass Downs and Channel Country
Head: Large, flat head
Head: Brown or black
Found: All over Qld in all habitats except rainforest. It has adapted well
to farmed, grazed and semi-urban lands
Venom: A dangerously venomous species, bites have been
associated with severe myotoxicity, renal failure and incoagulable
blood
Found: Southeast Qld in isolated populations — Carnarvon Ranges,
Maryborough, Cooloola, Caloundra-Beerwah, Bunya Mountains,
Border and Main Ranges — in moist areas such as rainforests, open
forests and river floodplains
Found: Pockets of far north Qld and most of the western interior to
the borders, in dry open forests, grasslands and scrublands
Venom: Can be pugnacious when provoked and rear up in an S-shape.
Dangerously venomous – resulting in progressive paralysis and
incoagulable blood – it has killed humans
Venom: Winds its body into an “S’’ when attacking, it is dangerously
venomous causing progressive paralysis and incoagulable blood
Venom: One of the most common snake bites in Australia, along with
brown snakes, has resulted in many human deaths
Spotted Black Snake (Pseudechis guttatus)
Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus)
Rough-scaled Snake (Tropidechis carinatus)
Small-eyed Snake (Cryptophis nigrescens)
Length: 1.5m
Length: 2m
Length: Grows to 1m
Length: Grows to 1m
Back colour: Black, dark grey or, occasionally, light brown and
sometimes with light bands or blotches
Back colour: Shiny, immaculate black back
Back colour: Glossy dark grey to black
Belly colour: Cream, but each scale has a dark hind edge, red on lower flanks
Back colour: Dull brown to olive brown back with irregular bands or
blotches across the body
Belly colour: Grey, blue-grey or brownish
Head: Brown snout tip
Belly colour: Cream, sometimes with a greenish tinge
Found: Coastal and sub-coastal areas of southeast Qld, black-soil
plains and downs, eucalypt forests and woodlands, grasslands,
pasture and cropped lands
Found: North eastern Qld from Big Tableland to Mt Elliot; mid-eastern
Qld in the Proserpine and Eungella regions; and from Gladstone through
to NSW. Usually found in well-watered areas such as river and creek
banks and swamps, rainforests, wet eucalypt forests and heaths
Body: Scales on the back and sides have a pronounced, central ridge
(keel) running along their length
Venom: A shy snake, bites are infrequent and may cause severe local
pain and regional swollen lymph nodes. Bites have not been known to
cause human fatalities
Venom: If threatened may flatten body and hiss loudly but not
aggressive and will usually attempt to escape. Less venomous than
many other Australian snakes
Snake at your place? Here’s what do to
Found: Northern population from Windsor Tableland to the Bluewater
Range and a pocket from Fraser Island to NSW border, in rainforests,
moist forests, heaths, pastures and regenerated forests
Venom: Aggressive and may strike rapidly when provoked, it is a
dangerously venomous species with strongly neurotoxic venom,
responsible for at least one human death
Do not
What to do if someone is bitten attempt
by a land or sea snake
Snakes are protected and it is illegal to injure, catch or kill them.
Most snake bites occur when people try to catch or kill them
Call 000 or send for medical assistance
If you encounter a snake:
Encourage the patient to stay calm and still
Walk away from it slowly, making no sudden movements,
and keep an eye on it from a distance (several metres)
Keep your pets safely away
If the snake remains and you want it gone, call a snake
catcher (call the DERM hotline 1300 130 372 for a local listing)
Apply a pressure bandage to the affected limb
Arm or forearm: Wrap
Legs: Wrap over clothes
from below the bite site,
over clothes from fingers
upwards as far as possible,
upwards as high as possible,
leaving toes open to check
with elbow in bent position
circulation, then wrap a
but fingers exposed, then
splint to the bandaged limb
wrap a splint along forearm
to catch
or kill the
snake
Trunk: Apply firm pressure
to the bitten area but do not
restrict chest movement.
Source: Australian Venom
Research Unit
Belly colour: Commonly pink with a line of dark grey spots, but can be
cream with grey blotches
Found: Very common in suburban Brisbane in well-mulched, wellwatered gardens and pockets along the coast, from southern Cape
York Peninsula. Prefers rainforests, wet and dry eucalypt forests and
heaths, farming and grazing lands
Venom: Little is known of the toxicity, although illnesses have
occurred, and there has been one fatality
Source: Queensland Museum’s Snakes
of South-East Queensland pocket guide
available online at www.qm.qld.gov.
au/shop Additional information: Australian
Venom Research Unit
NB: Not to be confused with
most venomous snakes, as
highly venomous snakes
are sometimes less
dangerous