Victorian Reptile Species

Eastern Brown Snake - (Pseudonaja textilis)
HIGHLY VENOMOUS

Description
Adults are typically pale to dark brown with no pattern.
Darker forms may have a paler head.
Belly either yellowish-cream or pinkish-orange.
Blotched with brown or grey.
Eyes are typically orange with dark surrounds and a distinct brow. Juveniles have a black head and a black nape.
Occasionally they can also be banded.
Distribution
Eastern Australia
Central and Eastern Northern Territory
Queensland (except Cape York Peninsula)
New South Wales
Victoria
Eastern South Australia
Habitat and Ecology
Found in dry, open habitats.
Woodland, scrubland, grassland and adjacent semi-urban areas.
Often in vicinity of water.
Shelters beneath logs, rocks, sheets of iron and in crevices.
Emerges to hunt during the day and warm nights to hunt.
Feeds on lizards, frogs, birds, small mammals and other snakes.
Oviparous (egg-laying)
Lays up to 25 eggs in deep cracks in soil or disused animal burrows.
Several clutches laid in favourable seasons.
Usual threat display includes flaring of the neck, then raising its head and anterior part of the body in an “S’ shape.
The Eastern Brown Snake grows to an average full length of 1.8m.

Tiger Snake - (Notechis Scutatus)
HIGHLY VENOMOUS

Description
A robust snake, with a large, flat head and a squarish frontal shield.
Highly variable in colour and size.
Most commonly are dark olive-brown to blackish with numerous yellowish cross-bands above, and cream to grey belly.
Unbanded individuals can be yellowish-brown to black.
Distribution
All throughout Southern Australia including:
Southwest Mainland and Island of Western Australia
Southern mainland and islands of South Australia
Victoria
Mainland Tasmania
Islands of the Bass Strait
Eastern New South Wales
South East Queensland
Habitat and Ecology
Favour wet and well watered areas.
Wetlands, swamps, dams, creeks, lakes and lagoons.
Habitats range from rain forest, open forest, woodland, tussock grassland and grazing pasture.
Mainly diurnal (active during the day).
Nocturnal during warmer weather.
Shelter beneath ground debris, dense vegetation and disused burrows.
Predominantly terrestrial but can swim.
Feeds mainly on frogs as well as small vertebrates such as mammals, fish, lizards, birds and carrion.
Oviparous (egg-laying).
Lays up to 20 eggs.
Will flatten neck and upper body exposing black skin between scales when threatened as a defense mechanism.
The Tiger Snake grow to an average full length of 1.6m.

Lowlands Copperhead - (Austrelaps superbus)
HIGHLY VENOMOUS

Description
Variable in colour, ranging from pale brown to black above.
White edging on scales of upper lip.
Young snakes are generally paler with an obscure stripe on the nape. Cream to grey underparts.
Distribution
Lowlands of Far Southeast New South Wales
Southern Victoria
Tasmania
Habitat and Ecology
Prefer damp areas of woodland, grassland and heath country.
Actively hunts during the day and warmer nights.
Feeds on small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards and small mammals.
Ovoviviparous (eggs hatch internally, birth to live young)
Gives birth to up to 30 live young.
Generally considered timid and non-aggressive.
Capable of inflicting painful and fatal bite.
The Lowlands Copperhead grow to an average full length of 1.5m.

Red-Bellied Black Snake - (Pseudechis porphyriacus)
HIGHLY VENOMOUS

Description
Red bellied black snakes are uniformly glossy black above, with crimson red on lower flanks.
This fades to a duller red, orange-pink or pale pinkish-cream on middle of belly and black under tail.
The eye is dark.
Some northern individuals may have a pale brownish snout.
Distribution
Throughout Eastern and South Eastern Mainland
Southeast of South Australia
Central and Southeast Victoria
Central and Eastern New South Wales
Eastern Queensland
Habitat and Ecology
Favour moist areas near watercourses, lagoons, swamps, drainage ditches and dams.
Also occur in forests, woodland, heath country and grasslands.
Mainly diurnal (active during the day).
Shelters during the day in thick grass tussock, disused burrows, under logs and large rocks.
Forage on land or in water for frogs, tadpoles, fish, small mammals, lizards and snakes including it’s own species.
Can remain underwater for up to 20 minutes.
Up to 20 live young are laid in thin sacs and emerge from within shortly after birth.
Capable of inflicting a fatal bite.
Timid animals. Usually remain motionless when approached or will try to flee.
The Red-Bellied Black Snake grows to an average full length of 2m.

Eastern Small-Eyed Snake - (Cryptophis nigrescens)
HIGHLY VENOMOUS

Description
Uniformly glossy blue-black or dark grey on back sides.
Belly can be cream with grey blotches in the south, and reddish-pink with dark grey flecks in the north.
Its head is flattened and eyes small and dark.
Males are larger than females with a larger head.
Distribution
Throughout the coast and ranges of Eastern Australia
Ranges between Southern Cape Your Peninsula in Queensland to Southeast Victoria
Habitat and Ecology
Found in rain forests, wet and dry sclerophyll (bushland) forests, woodland, coastal heaths and suburban gardens.
Nocturnal.
Shelters during the day beneath stones, rock crevices, loose bark and fallen logs.
Emerges to forage for small lizards and their eggs, blind snakes and small snakes.
Viviparous (develops live young in the body).
Births up to 8 live young in a litter.
Venom contains myotoxins which affect muscle tissue (including the heart).
The Eastern Small-Eyed Snake grows to an average full length of 85cm.

White Lipped Snake - (Drysdalia coronoides)
MILDLY VENOMOUS

Description
Small and slender snake.
Conspicuous white stripe along the upper lip that continues along the side of their head and onto their neck.
Their back colour is variable, from pale to blackish-grey, olive-green or reddish-brown, but without pale band on nape.
Their belly is usually salmon-pink, but can be yellowish-cream or grey.
Distribution
Cooler regions of Northeast New South Wales
Victoria
Southwest South Australia
Tasmania
Habitat and Ecology
Often found in wet habitats, typically forested areas and tussock grassland.
Mainly nocturnal.
Shelters during the day in dense leaf litter, under rocks and fallen logs.
Diurnal (active during the day) during colder periods in areas of heavy cover.
Feeds predominantly on small mammals.
Viviparous (develops live young in the body).
Births up to 10 live young in a litter towards the end of summer.
The White Lipped Snake grows to an average full length of 45cm.

Little Whip Snake - (Parasuta Flagellum)
MILDLY VENOMOUS

Description
Pale grey-brown to reddish-brown above, with each scale having a darker base, giving it a reticulated pattern.
Its head is relatively short, with black crown and snout, separated by pale brown cross-bar, and paler cream sides.
Underparts are pale to dark cream and unpatterned.
Distribution
Around the coast, inland and ranges of Southeast Australia
Southeast New South Wales
Victoria
Southeast of South Australia
Habitat and Ecology
Found in eucalyptus woodland, shrub land and grassland.
Typically on stony hills with large quantities of surface rocks, logs and rock crevices.
Repeatedly uses the same shelter sites.
Feeds on small lizards and frogs.
Viviparous (develops live young in the body).
Births up to 7 live young in a litter.
The Little Whip Snake has an average full length of 40cm.

Blue Tongue Lizard - (Tiliqua Scincoides)
NON VENOMOUS

Description
A large lizard with a broad head, short limbs and a moderately long tapering tail,
Possesses it’s infamous dark blue tongue.
Generally silvery-grey, olive-green or brownish above.
Broad dark brown to blackish, irregular transverse bands on back and tail.
Sometimes with broad blackish stripe from eye to above ear.
Underparts white or creamish.
Colour varies widely with its range.
Individuals further north are more brown, paler on head with blackish bars on back and with eye stripe reduced or absent.
Distribution
Found throughout eastern Australia
Northeast Queensland
Central and Eastern New South Wales
All throughout Victoria
Habitat and Ecology
Found in a wide variety of natural and developed habitats with plenty of ground cover.
Shelters at night in dense leaf litter, under fallen logs, rocks, discarded lumber, rubbish and iron.
Diurnal (active during the day).
Actively forages during warmer parts of the day.
Feeds on molluscs, insects, plant material and carrion.
Remains relatively inactive in cooler weather in shelter.
Spends lengthy periods basking in well lit sunny areas.
Viviparious (develops live young in the body).
Births up to 20 live young in a litter once a year. Will skip a year if food availability is insufficient.
Flattens body, opens mouth and protrudes it’s blue tongue when threatened.
Has the ability to hiss.
The Blue Tongue Lizard grows to an average full length of 32cm.