SNAKES Harmful & Harmless
9 Birch Place, Stoneville, Western Australia 6081
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KEY TO THE KIMBERLEY & NORTHERN NT
LAND SNAKES
This key will allow identification to most species except blind snakes, sea snakes, mangrove and mud snakes.
1 Body worm-like; tail without taper;
eyes indistinct (each represented by
a dark spot beneath head scales ...... …………...…...... blind snake (Ramphotyphlops spp.)
Body snakelike; tail tapering;
eyes distinct ...... …………...... ……...... …...…..... 2
2 Body stout; tail noticeably
distinct from body & includes
grub-like appendage on end ....……………...…………….……… DEATH ADDER (Acanthophis species)
Body slender to moderately
stout; tail with gradual
taper (hardly distinct from
body); no grub-like appendage ...... ……………...... …....…...... 3
3 Mid-body scales in 23 or less rows ...... ……………...... …..…...... 4
Mid-body scales in 30 or more rows ...... ……………...... …...... 25
4 Mid-body scales in 13 rows ...... ……………..... Golden Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulatus)
Mid-body scales in 15 or more rows ...... ……………...... ……...... 5
5 Mid-body scales in 15 rows ...... ……………...... …...... …...... 6
Mid-body scales in 17 or more rows ...... ……………...... …...…...... 16
6 Dorsal scales keeled …...... ……………..... Freshwater Snake or Keelback (Tropidonophis mairii)
Dorsal scales smooth …...... ……………...... ……...... 7
7 Scales under tail undivided (in 1 row) …...... ……………....…...... ……...... 8
Scales under tail divided (in 2 rows) ..…….……..……………………………..……………….………..…..9
8 Head and neck with dark blotches ……..…………………………… Little Spotted Snake (Suta punctata)
Head and neck without dark
blotched……………………………………………. Northern Small-eyed Snake (Cryptophis pallidiceps)
9 Tail long, 40 or more scales along
underside of tail; body without bands …...... ……………...... ……...... 10
Tail short, body usually with numerous dark
or pale bands …...... ……………...... ……... 15
10 Body colour predominantly black …...... ……...... ……………...... ……... 11
Body colour not black …...... …………………...... 12
11 Head usually spotted;
ventrals more than 198 ….....……………..... GREATER BLACK WHIPSNAKE (Demansia papuensis)
Head usually not spotted;
Ventrals less than 197 …...... ………………………….. Lesser Black Whipsnake (Demansia vestigiata)
12 Ventrals 165 or more ...... …...... ……………...... …...... 13
Ventrals 155 or less ...... ……………...... Grey Whipsnake (Demansia simplex)
13 Body and tail olive, not obviously different in colour ……………………………………….……..……. 14
Body green, tail obviously a different colour, being
brown or coppery ...... …………………………….... Coppertail Whipsnake (Demansia psammophis)
14 Head, if different in colour to neck,
usually paler ……………………..…………….... Narrow-headed Whip Snake (Demansia angusticeps)
Head, if different in colour to neck,
usually darker …………………………………………………....Olive Whip Snake (Demansia olivacea)
15 Body with numerous bands ...... ……………...... …...... 30
Body bands absent, head and neck
bands only (rare) ...... ……………...... Worrell’s Snake (Simoselaps minimus)
16 Mid-body scales in 17 rows ...... …………...... …...... 17
Mid-body scales in 19 or 23 rows ...... …………...... …..... 21
17 Scales beneath tail all divided ...... …...... …………...... 18
Scales beneath tail usually undivided
anteriorly, divided posteriorly, or all
undivided ...... …………………….……………. KING BROWN SNAKE (Pseudechis australis)
18 Eye small (diameter no greater than
distance between eye and mouth) ...... ……………...... …...... 32
Eye large (diameter greater than
distance between eye and mouth) ...... ……………...... …...... 19
19 Pupil vertically elliptic ...... ……..……………..... Banded Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis)
Pupil round …...... ……………...... 20
20 Flesh colour inside mouth
predominantly pink ...... ……………... EASTERN BROWNSNAKE (Pseudonaja textilis)
Flesh colour inside mouth
predominantly black ...... ……………...... …...... …...... 21
21 Ventrals fewer than 190 ...... …………..... Ringed Brownsnake (Pseudonaja modesta)
Ventrals more than 190 ...... ……………...... …...... 22
22 Lower labial scales 6 ………….WESTERN BROWNSNAKE or GWARDAR (Pseudonaja mengdeni)
Lower labial scales 7 ...... …………...... INGRAM’S BROWNSNAKE (Pseudonaja ingrami)
23 Mid-body scales in 19 rows ……………………………..…………………………………….….….….. 24
Mid-body scales in 23 rows ...... ……………...... TAIPAN (Oxyuranus scutellatus)
24 Ventrals with dark edging; no
dark stripe from nostril to
temple …………………...... …………...... ……………...... Ord Curl Snake (Suta ordensis)
Ventrals without dark edging;
dark pale-edged stripe from
nostril to temple, passing
through eye ………………...... ………...…………...... …..... Myall Curl Snake (Suta suta)
25 Labial scales with some heat
sensory pits ...... ……………...... …...... 26
Labial scales lack heat
sensory pits ...... ……………. Black-headed Python (Aspidites melanocephalus)
26 Head scales small and
fragmented ...... ……………...... …...... 27
Head scales large and
plate-like ...... ……………...... …...... 28
27 Dorsal scales smooth ...... ……………..... Northern Carpet Python (Morelia spilota variegata)
Dorsal scales keeled ...... ……………...... Rough-scaled Python (Morelia carinata)
28 Belly yellow ...... ……………...... Water Python (Liasis mackloti)
Belly whitish ...... ……………...... …...... 29
29 Tail long, more than 90 scales
along underside of tail ...... ……………...... Olive Python (Liasis olivaceus)
Tail short, less than 45 scales
along underside of tail ...... ……………...... Children’s Python (Antaresia childreni)
30 Body white with black bands ...... ……………...... 31
Body orange with 23-40 black bands .....……………...... Desert Banded Snake (Simoselaps anomalus)
31 Black body bands number less
than 75 ...... ……………...... Bandy Bandy (Vermicella intermedia)
Black body bands number more
than 75 ...... ……………...... Bandy Bandy (Vermicella multifasciata)
32 Body with bands .....…………...... ……………... Northern Half-girdled Snake (Brachyurophis roperi)
Body without bands; yellow neck
band only ...... ……………...... Moon Snake (Furina ornata)
Not included in the above Key
In the extreme Eastern Kimberley there are possibly three additional species of whip snake. These are Demansia quaesitor, D. rimicola and D. shinei
There also occurs several species of sea snake and the following mangrove or mud snakes: Bockadam (Cerberus australis), Little Wart Snake (Acrochordus granulatus), White-bellied Mangrove Snake (Fordonia leucobalia) and Richardson’s Mangrove Snake (Myron richardsonii).
© Brian Bush