Australian Coral Snake

(Brachyurophis australis)

Other common names: Coral Snake, Shovel-nosed Snake.

Significance to Humans: Weakly Venomous
Virtually harmless and not considered medically important. Weakly venomous but considered harmless due to inoffensive nature and reluctance to bite.

General description: Small, smooth glossy snake, with numerous narrow ragged-edge bands of reddish-brown through orange-red to coral-pink, between narrow bands of creamy pale scales with dark edges. Black blotch or bar on head & broad black bar across neck. Belly bright creamy white. Tip of snout has sharp, upturned cutting edge (or rostral scale) which is used for burrowing. Midbody scales at 17 rows.

Average Length: 30 cm

Habitat in SE Qld: Found in wide variety of habitats but especially where dry, sandy soils occur.

General habits: Uncommonly seen and little known of habits. Nocturnally active, burrowing snake, generally stays beneath the soil and litter. Sometimes found above ground on warm nights. Shelters under soil surface or under stumps, rocks & logs during the day.

Diet: Skinks and other lizards and reptile eggs.

Local distribution: Brisbane & Lockyer Valleys, Ipswich, Greenbank, Camira, Mt Crosby.

Around the home: Infrequently encountered. Most specimens discovered in backyard swimming pools after falling in during nocturnal movements.

Photo Gallery

Please be patient while our image gallery loads. If viewing images in the lightbox viewer by clicking on an image, please allow a few second between each image as some images are large to retain their quality and size. Images are loaded straight from Dropbox, if blank spaces appear in gallery please click on the refresh icon, top left of gallery.
All image are the property of the website or respected owner and can not be re-used without permisson. Copyright applies