One of the 26 snakes on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Elapidae
Mainland Island Snake
Notechis scutatus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The tiger snake is one of the most venomous snakes in Australia, with pale crossbands on a dark ground in many populations. It lives in association with water and hunts mainly frogs. It is viviparous and can give birth to more than thirty young. The population of Chappell Island presents an extraordinary case of local adaptation tied to a single seasonal food source.
Weight
4 kg – 15 kg
Size
90 cm – 2.1 m
Lifespan
15 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- GeneralOne of the most dangerous snakes in Australia; it flattens its neck when threatened.
- On Chappell Island, off Tasmania, the tiger snakes depend on the chicks of a single shearwater species, available only a few weeks a year: they have evolved disproportionately large heads in order to swallow them and spend the rest of the year practically fasting.
- It is viviparous and a female can give birth to more than thirty young at once, an extraordinary litter size for a venomous snake.
- Its colour varies enormously between populations, from almost black to banded yellow: the island and mainland forms were once described as separate species.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Saltmarsh, riverbanks, grassland and coastal dunes
- Size at birth
- About 20-25 cm at birth; it is viviparous
- Sexual maturity
- 9.5 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 3 months of gestation
- Litter / clutch size
- 30 live young
Sources consulted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_snake
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From September to April in southern Australia and Tasmania, by day, in marshes and along stream margins; at the height of summer it also hunts at dusk.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 25 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Mainland Island Snake — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Eastern Brown Snake
Pseudonaja textilis
Common Death Adder
Acanthophis antarcticus
Fierce Snake
Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Yellow-lipped Sea Krait
Laticauda colubrina
Common Bluetongue
Tiliqua scincoides
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about mainland island snake.
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