Snakes in Australia
Australia is home to around 140 land snakes, and 32 sea snakes, of which nearly 100 are considered venomous. Interestingly the three of the world’s deadliest snakes dwell in the country.
The inland taipan, the most venomous snake globally, has a wide range here. It has such intense venom that it can kill around 100 adult humans or 2500 mice from a single bite. Yet there have been no records of death from an Inland taipan bite in Australia to date.
The second most venomous land snake, the eastern brown snake, is found in the eastern and central regions. The coastal taipan, ranking third globally in venom level, is also native to Australia, inhabiting cane fields, sand dunes, and tropical rainforests.
You can find snakes of various colors in Australia, yet one of the most striking ones is the blue variant. The Australian tree snake or the common tree snake dwelling in the northern tropical regions and eastern parts of the continent, has a blue phase, rarely spotted. Moreover, when threatened, it emits a bluish splash between the scales, creating a stunning formation.
The scrub python, reaching a length of 8 meters, is the largest snake in Australia, while the pygmy python, just 61 cm long, is the smallest.
| Groups | Venomous | Non-venomous |
|---|---|---|
| Copperheads | Lowland Copperhead | – |
| Mangrove Snakes | Richardson’s Mangrove Snake | – |
| Whipsnakes | Yellow-faced Whipsnake Little Whip Snake Olive Whipsnake Greater Black Whipsnake Collared Whipsnake Lesser Black Whipsnake | – |
| Adders | Common Death Adder Northern Death Adder Desert Death Adder | – |
Pseudonaja | Eastern Brown Snake Western Brown Snake | – |
| Notechis | Tiger Snake Mainland Tiger Snake | – |
| Oxyuranus | Inland Taipan Coastal Taipan | – |
Pseudechis | Mulga Snake Red-bellied Black Snake | |
Cryptophis | Small-eyed Snake | |
| Drysdalia | Master’s Snake White-lipped Snake | |
| Echiopsis | Bardick | |
| Suta | Mallee Black-backed Snake Spectacled Hooded Snake Curl Snake | |
Vermicella | Bandy-bandy | |
| Morelia | Torresian Carpet Python | |
| Boiga | Brown Tree Snake | |
| Cerberus | New Guinea Bockadam | |
| Hoplocephalus | Pale-headed Snake | |
Anilios | – | Prong-snouted Blind Snake Proximus Blind Snake |
| Cacophis | Southern Dwarf Crowned Snake | |
| Aspidites | – | Black-headed Python |
| Aipysurus | – | Olive Sea Snake Leaf-scaled Sea Snake Dubois’ sea snake |
| Antaresia | – | Children’s Python Pygmy Python |
Liasis | – | Water Python Olive Python |
| Nyctophilopython | – | Oenpelli Python |
| Dendrelaphis | – | Australian Tree Snake (Green Tree Snake) |
| Fordonia | – | Crab-eating Water Snake |
| Emydocephalus | – | Turtle-headed Sea Snake |
| Hydrophis | – | Stoke’s Sea Snake Horned Sea Snake Small-headed Sea Snake Yellow-bellied Sea Snake Elegant sea snake |
| Simalia | – | Australian Scrub Python |
| Simoselaps | – | West Coast Banded Snake |
Snakes by Colors and Patterns
Black Snakes: Red-bellied Black Snake, Blue-bellied Black Snake
Brown Snakes: Eastern Brown Snake, Western Brown Snake
Yellow Snakes: Yellow-faced Whip Snake, Yellow-bellied Sea Snake
Green Snakes: Green Tree Snake (Common Tree Snake)
Snakes in Australia (By Regions)
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Queensland
- NSW (New South Wales)
- WA (Western Australia)
- SA (South Australia)
- Sydney
- Perth
- Melbourne
Quick Information
Biggest Snake: Australian Scrub Python
Smallest Snake: Pygmy Python
Most Dangerous/Deadliest Snakes: Inland Taipan, Eastern Brown Snake, Coastal Taipan
