Snake Identification

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Common Snakes on the Sunshine Coast

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Venomous Snakes

Mildly Venomous Snakes

Non-Venomous Snakes

Lizards and Reptiles

Yellow Faced Whip Snake (Demansia psammophis)

- Mildly Venomous

Yellow-faced whip snakes are small, thin snakes that only grow to an average length of 80cm – 1 meter. Scales can vary from green-olive to brown, with a brown or copper colouration along the top half of the body. The scales around the eyes are usually yellow with a black comma shape that runs to the corner of the mouth. Across the snout, there is a black bar that runs from nostril to nostril.

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Spotted Python (Antaresia maculosa)

- Non-Venomous

Small, robust and distinctively spotted, the spotted python is a snake species commonly found on the north-east and eastern coasts of Australia. Their docile nature and lack of venom make these snakes popular as pets!

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Red Bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus)

- Highly Venomous

Red-bellied black snakes are moderately built and can grow to an average length of 1.5 to 2 meters. Black-headed, often with an orange-brown snout, there are glossy jet-black scales on its back with vibrant red to pink coloration running down its flanks. Belly scales are red to pink with black bands.

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Keelback Snake (Tropidonophis mairii)

- Non-Venomous

Keelback snakes are small, freshwater snakes that grow to average lengths of 60 -75 cm. Their colours range from any shade of grey, brown, and olive, with dark bands across the back. Belly scales are normally a cream to light salmon-pink. The most defining feature is the keeled scales that cover most of their body, which makes it rough to the touch.

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Green Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata)

- Non-Venomous

Green tree snakes, also known as common tree snakes, have moderately large eyes with elongated heads. They have long, slender bodies with scales varying in colour from brown and green, to sky blue. The scales often have white or blue speckles. Belly scales are usually creamy to yellow but can also be light blue.

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Eastern Small-Eyed Snake (Cryptophis nigrescens)

- Highly Venomous

Eastern small-eyed snakes are generally dark grey or black with very glossy scales. The belly is usually marked with grey or black splotches and is pink or light orange in colour, depending on whether the snake originates in the north or in the south of Queensland. This colour does not extend up around the sides of the snake, as is the case with the red-bellied black snake.

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Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis)

- Highly Venomous

Eastern brown snakes are of a slender to moderate build and can grow to lengths of 1.5 to 2 meters. This species varies in colouration and patterns, ranging from light brown to beige or gray and tending to have a black head with a lighter brown snout and band on the back. Their bodies can be standard brown or include bands down to the tail.

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Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus)

- Highly Venomous

Death adders are very stocky snakes with triangular-shaped heads, growing to an average of 40-100cm in length. The colouration of a common death adder depends on the areas where it is found. It has a distinctive appearance, usually in variations of red, brown or black with a gray, cream or pink-coloured belly.

Unlike many other snake species, the adder’s body is quite broad and thick with a definitively tapered tail. They are an extremely venomous species.

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Coastal Carpet Python (Morelia spilota mcdowelli)

- Non-Venomous

Coastal carpet pythons are large, thick snakes that can grow to over 3 metres in length and weigh up to 10kg. They have a large head covered in small fragmented scales. There are defined heat pits on the lower jaw with less defined pits on the upper lip and snout. Their colour can vary greatly, though they mostly look carpet-coloured with dark brown and tan, bordered by black, blotches all over their body.

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Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis)

- Weakly Venomous

Brown tree snakes can grow to around 2 meters in length. They have long, slender bodies with large bulbous heads, distinct from their narrow neck. They have large yellow to brown eyes with vertical pupils. These snakes are brown to orange or reddish in colour with dark bands. Belly scales vary from cream and orange to salmon in colour.

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Bandy Bandy (Vermicella annulata)

- Weakly Venomous

The bandy bandy snake is black in colour with thick, white stripes or bands marking its body from head to tail. This snake species burrows, and as a result, its eyes are very small and hard to distinguish from the rest of the head from afar. Additionally, there is no distinction between its head and body, giving it a streamlined appearance.

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White Crowned Snake (Cacophis harriettae)

- Weakly Venomous

The white crowned snake is a small snake species endemic to Australia and is commonly spotted in and around the Sunshine Coast.

Although it is venomous, this species is not considered dangerous to humans. Like its crowned siblings, the white crowned snake relies more on defensive displays than biting.

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Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus)

- Highly Venomous

The tiger snake is a large, extremely venomous snake found across Australia, including Tasmania. Adult tiger snakes can grow to lengths of up to 1.2m.

These reptilian hunters appear in a range of colours and markings. Patterning tends to include darker bands across the length of the body which are contrasted against the body colour, which is usually a variant of either yellow, olive, orange-brown, and even purely black.

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Southern Dwarf Crowned Snake (Cacophis krefftii)

- Weakly Venomous

The southern crowned dwarf snake is a common snake species found across Queensland, including in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast. Their small sizes make them hard to spot, however!

Tiny in comparison to their golden-crowned relatives, the dwarf crowned snake is considered weakly venomous but not dangerous to humans.

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Rough Scaled Snake (Tropidechis carinatus)

- Highly Venomous

The rough scaled snake is a moderately sized and partially arboreal snake commonly found in Queensland. Despite sharing a similar appearance to the Keelback snake, the rough scaled snake’s closest relative is actually the venomous tiger snake!

Active during both the day and night, this snake is highly venomous and can be incredibly defensive if it feels threatened. Keep an eye out for this little hunter!

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Marsh Snake (Hemiaspis signata)

- Mildly Venomous

The marsh snake, also known as the black-bellied swamp snake, swamp snake, or grass snake, is a brown-coloured venomous species of snake endemic to Australia. They are commonly found in southeast Queensland and share a close resemblance with other snakes in the elapid family, such as the eastern small-eyed snake and the red-bellied black snake.

Usually not aggressive, the marsh snake is more likely to flee when encountering a potential threat or danger.

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Golden Crowned Snake (Cacophis Squamulosus)

- Weakly Venomous

Named for its distinct crown-shaped markings, the golden crowned snake is a common species found across Queensland, including in Brisbane and on the Sunshine Coast.

Keep an eye on your cats and dogs as our furry companions are known to hunt and bring in these snakes from time to time.

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Blind Snake (Typhlopidae)

- Non-Venomous

The blind snake is often incorrectly identified as an earthworm, but for understandable reasons: they have a worm-like appearance! With shiny scales and a distinctive, blunt tail, the blind snake grows to lengths of between 20cm – 65cm.

There are 47 species of blind snakes belonging to the Anilios genus though many are similar in appearance. Blind snakes are not venomous.

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Sunshine Coast Snake Identification

The Sunshine Coast region, like many other places in Queensland, is renowned for its snake population. There are many different species of snake on the Sunshine Coast, not to many all the sub-species, and many homeowners – and even business owners – have come across these slippery reptiles on their premises, in places they are not expected to be. Considering the variety of venomous snake species on the Sunshine Coast, it can be highly beneficial to be informed about the various snakes you may encounter.

Identifying a snake is no easy task, even for avid snake enthusiasts. When meeting a snake, they will likely try to flee or hide, which can make successfully identifying it difficult. In some cases, certain snakes can become defensive, rearing up or flattening out their body as they face off a would-be threat. This can also make identifying a snake tricky.

If you should come across a snake in your garden, at home, or within your workplace, it’s always best to call in trained professionals like Snake Rescue Sunny Coast. Our experience and training give us the right tools to not only accurately identify the snake, but also safely remove it from your property and relocate it to the wild. Never approach a snake you don’t recognise as there are many species of snake on the Sunshine Coast that are poisonous, but that can be confused for other, similar-looking non-venomous snakes in the area.

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Service Areas

Areas Covered: Caloundra to Noosa; Beerwah to Pomona;
Maleny to Mapleton and all areas in between.

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