Snakes harmful & Harmless

9 Birch Place, Stoneville, Western Australia 6081

_________________________ ABN - 12 676 823 869________________________

KEY TO THE KIMBERLEY & NORTHERN NT

This key will allow identification to most species except blind snakes, sea snakes, mangrove and mud snakes.

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

Mid-body scales in 15 or more rows ..............................…………….............................................……....... 5

Mid-body scales in 17 or more rows ...........................................……………..........................…...…........ 16

Dorsal scales smooth …................…………….........................................................................……............. 7

Scales under tail divided (in 2 rows) ..…….……..……………………………..……………….………..…..9

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

Body colour not black …..............................................................................…………………................... 12

ventrals more than 198 ….....……………..... GREATER BLACK WHIPSNAKE (Demansia papuensis)

Head usually not spotted;

Ventrals less than 197 …........………………………….. Lesser Black Whipsnake (Demansia vestigiata)

Ventrals 155 or less ...............................................……………....... Grey Whipsnake (Demansia simplex)

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)

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

Scales beneath tail usually undivided

anteriorly, divided posteriorly, or all

undivided .................…………………….……………. KING BROWN SNAKE (Pseudechis australis)

distance between eye and mouth) ...................……………...................................................…................ 32

Eye large (diameter greater than

distance between eye and mouth) ..............................……………........................................…................ 19

Pupil round …...............................................................……………........................................................ 20

predominantly pink ...........................……………... EASTERN BROWNSNAKE (Pseudonaja textilis)

Flesh colour inside mouth

predominantly black ............................……………..................................................…................…....... 21

Ventrals more than 190 ............................................................……………..........................…............... 22

Lower labial scales 7 ..................…………........... INGRAM’S BROWNSNAKE (Pseudonaja ingrami)

Mid-body scales in 23 rows .................................……………. ............ TAIPAN (Oxyuranus scutellatus)

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)

sensory pits .........................................................................……………....................................….......... 26

Labial scales lack heat

sensory pits ............................................……………. Black-headed Python (Aspidites melanocephalus)

fragmented ...............................................................……………...........................................…............... 27

Head scales large and

plate-like .................................................................................……………...................................…........ 28

Dorsal scales keeled ....................................……………........... Rough-scaled Python (Morelia carinata)

Belly whitish ................................................................................................……………................…...... 29

along underside of tail ..............................................……………............ Olive Python (Liasis olivaceus)

Tail short, less than 45 scales

along underside of tail ........................……………................... Children’s Python (Antaresia childreni)

Body orange with 23-40 black bands .....……………....... Desert Banded Snake (Simoselaps anomalus)

than 75 ...............................................................……………........ Bandy Bandy (Vermicella intermedia)

Black body bands number more

than 75 ............................................................……………....... Bandy Bandy (Vermicella multifasciata)

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