Photo: Max Tibby · CC0 1.0 (Licence)
Elapidae
Dwyer’s Snake
Suta dwyeri
A small snake associated with rocky shelter in parts of eastern Australia.
Venomous
State guide
Snakes recorded in ACT
Use the identifier with a location clue, then compare the profiles below.
Profiles for this area
Blackish Blind Snake (Anilios nigrescens), photographed dead on a road.
Photo: Max Tibby · CC0 (Licence)
Typhlopidae
Blackish Blind Snake
Anilios nigrescens
A glossy, worm-like burrowing snake from eastern Australia. It has a nearly uniform body thickness, tiny eyes and a very short tail. Recognising a blind snake is usually easier than telling which blind-snake species it is.
Non-venomous
Photo: george_vaughan · CC0 1.0 (Licence)
Elapidae
White-lipped Snake
Drysdalia coronoides
White-lipped Snake is recorded across south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania and New South Wales. It varies from olive-brown and grey to reddish brown or dark grey, with a white stripe on the upper lip and no pale or dark nape band.
Venomous
Photo: Greg Tasney · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Licence)
Elapidae
Small-eyed Snake
Cryptophis nigrescens
A glossy black snake of eastern Australia. Its pale to pinkish-red belly can resemble markings on other dark snakes, so colour alone is unreliable.
Highly venomous
Photo: Max Tibby · CC0 (Licence)
Elapidae
Tiger Snake
Notechis scutatus
Tiger snakes may be banded, faintly marked or completely plain. They are robust snakes associated with many southern wetlands, but also occur in drier habitats. A black snake in Tasmania, or one without stripes, can still be a tiger snake.
Highly venomous
Photo: The original uploader was Figaro at English Wikipedia. · Public domain (Licence)
Elapidae
Red-bellied Black Snake
Pseudechis porphyriacus
A glossy black snake often seen around creeks, wetlands and farm dams in eastern Australia. Red or pink along the lower sides is a useful clue, but it can be hidden by the snake's position and is much paler in some northern animals.
Venomous
Photo: Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark · CC BY 2.0 (Licence)
Elapidae
Eastern Brown Snake
Pseudonaja textilis
An Eastern Brown Snake is not always brown. Adults can be tan, orange-brown or nearly black, while young snakes may have striking dark bands. A relatively small head and slender body are more useful clues than the name alone.
Highly venomous
Photo: Bryce Watts-Parker · CC BY 4.0 (Licence)
Elapidae
Highlands Copperhead
Austrelaps ramsayi
A venomous snake of moist upland areas in south-eastern Australia. Its back ranges from dark grey to reddish brown, and the lips have contrasting bars.
Dangerously venomous
Photo: Max Tibby · CC0 1.0 (Licence)
Elapidae
Red-naped Snake
Furina diadema
A slender red-brown snake with a black head and nape, pale belly and a red or orange nape patch enclosed by black. Its checked range spans NSW, Queensland, SA, Victoria and the ACT.
Venomous
Photo: James K. Douch · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Licence)
Elapidae
Yellow-faced Whip Snake
Demansia psammophis
Yellow-faced Whip Snake is an eastern Australian species recorded in NSW, QLD, VIC, SA and ACT. It is variable in grey, olive, yellow and brown tones, with a dark facial line and dark-edged scales that can give a reticulated appearance.
Venomous
Photo: dhfischer · CC BY 4.0 (Licence)
Elapidae
Common Bandy-bandy
Vermicella annulata
A snake with bold black-and-white rings around its body, found across much of eastern and central Australia.
Venomous