# what kind of snake is this?



## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

last weekend (fri 2/11/07 - sun 4/11/07) i went camping and on the way home we saw a couple of snakes basking on the dirt road. most i could identify except for this one which i thought was a brown snake at first but then i saw that it had a yellow underside. i am just wondering out of curiosity what kind it is if anyone could tell me. (click for a larger image)


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

wow we love snake id threads

what was your location ?
cant see its head
but it is fat and the underside those look a much ligher colour
a Mulga has that appearance

how big would you have said it was?


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## nuthn2do (Nov 7, 2007)

Was the dirt road in las vegas, bejing or phuket?


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

my location was the blue mountains (near sydney for those who dont know where that is) and the snake would probably have been around 1-2m in length. here is another pic


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

oh copperhead in the mountains but it lookslarge for a copperhead im confused


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

cool


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

well actually im only imagining its size


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

lol


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

highlands coperheads like to hang out in them mountains

did you get a look at its face that is a definite indicator
there got white bars on there lip


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## dansfish4tea (Nov 7, 2007)

so is it confirmed yet


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

it was kinda facing away and then it just slitherd of the road so i didnt really get to see its head


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

the other two snakes i saw were red bellied black snakes (and i also saw a blue tonge lizard but thats not very interesting)


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## scorps (Nov 7, 2007)

its defiantly not a bluetongue


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## Magpie (Nov 7, 2007)

scorps said:


> its defiantly not a bluetongue


or a beardie


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

scorps said:


> its defiantly not a bluetongue



that was a mistake i ment to say blue tounge lizard - of course the snake isnt a blue tounge!


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

so what was the weather like on the weekend in the mountains?
must have been ok if herps where out


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## Aslan (Nov 7, 2007)

Most likely a Copperhead - colour is a terrible indicator of a snake though...John Cann produced an almost black snake the other night with a bright yellow belly - it was an Eastern Brown...


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## scorps (Nov 7, 2007)

on closer inspection i am 99 percent sure its a lace monitor


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## pugsly (Nov 7, 2007)

Whatever it is, from that first pic its either just eaten or gravid..


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

yes i totaly agree,colour can vary so much in individual species
but copperhead is most likely candidate in the mountains and of that appearance

by the way there a lovely snake


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

it was showering on and off on friday and sat but on sunday it all cleard up and it got quite hot


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

yes it is a fatty too


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

PiMp said:


> yes i totaly agree,colour can vary so much in individual species
> but copperhead is most likely candidate in the mountains and of that appearance
> 
> by the way there a lovely snake



thanks


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## RevDaniel (Nov 7, 2007)

Nice lookign snake what ever it is


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## Aslan (Nov 7, 2007)

PiMp said:


> yes i totaly agree,colour can vary so much in individual species
> but copperhead is most likely candidate in the mountains and of that appearance
> 
> by the way there a lovely snake


 

...Yeah, I think it is a Copperhead - taking into account location, and broadness of the head and body I would say it is almost certainly a Copperhead...

...sounds like a good trip with a few nice Herps - any other photos?


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

there are some more pics but only lizards


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## Inkslinger (Nov 7, 2007)

Snakeaholic said:


> my location was the blue mountains (near sydney for those who dont know where that is) and the snake would probably have been around 1-2m in length. here is another pic
> View attachment 33951



Try this site
http://wildlifeatlas.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/wildlifeatlas/watlas.jsp


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

we need more threads on copperheads
there an awsome snake and most of the ones ive met have a good nature


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 7, 2007)

Inkslinger said:


> Try this site
> http://wildlifeatlas.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/wildlifeatlas/watlas.jsp




interesting that site listed in the sydney area that there is cornsnakes!

i didnt think there would be enough in the wild to get a mention?


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 7, 2007)

hers a lizard pic i got on a walking track




and heres the blue tounge

View attachment 33958


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## dunno103 (Nov 7, 2007)

Yep I agree with pimp and aslan, and if it was cool then it definately was a copperhead. 

I have found them a very docile and nice looking snake but do not recommend catching them.

Cheers

Steve


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## pugsly (Nov 7, 2007)

Looks gravid too!


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## JasonL (Nov 7, 2007)

def a copperhead, they have a slang name "yellow bellied black snakes" which is what they are often called in country areas from people who don't know what they are talking about. They can grow quite large, this one is from the Snowy's, and is around 5 feet.


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## mrmikk (Nov 7, 2007)

Nice pic JasonL, is that a wild snake, or one of yours?


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## PimmsPythons (Nov 7, 2007)

intergrade


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## Jonno from ERD (Nov 7, 2007)

I'll agree with some of the previous posters, it's a Copperhead _Austrelaps ramsayi._ It's a female, and certainly looks gravid.


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## salebrosus (Nov 7, 2007)

MMMMMMMMMM i just love Copperheads

Simone


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## JasonL (Nov 8, 2007)

mrmikk said:


> Nice pic JasonL, is that a wild snake, or one of yours?



Wild, found about 10 of them that day, around a pond the size of a football field. In an area I've photographed frogs at about 20 times and never seen any, just shows when the time is right they literally appear out of the woodwork to feast and reproduce.


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## pugsly (Nov 8, 2007)

Nice pic mate, 10 in a day! Crikey happy days!


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## JasonL (Nov 8, 2007)

and 3/4's of them were monsters!, it had rained alot and the grass was 2 foot high, snakes were coiled everywhere, had to look very carefully with each step. My son was sooooo close to treading on the one in the grass that looks a bit tigerish (though it's a def copperhead).


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## SnakeWrangler (Nov 8, 2007)

Very nice looking snakes. When I first read this thread I was thinking "yellow belly black snake", started looking around and couldn't find anything about such a snake. I started thinking I must be crazy, I knew I must have heard it somewhere before, even if it is a misnomer.


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## Tsidasa (Nov 8, 2007)

I think it's a King Skink =)


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## Jonno from ERD (Nov 8, 2007)

There are no snakes with the accepted common name of "Yellow Bellied Black Snake". However some people have called different species by that name, including Green Tree Snakes, Butlers Snakes, Highlands and Lowlands Copperheads, Tiger Snakes, Water Pythons and Inland Taipans.


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 8, 2007)

after all these posts i have suddenly got a strong liking for copperheads lol


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## bredli84 (Nov 8, 2007)

nah, the lowlands are better


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## eipper (Nov 8, 2007)

Hi all,

Highland Copperhead _Austrelaps ramsayi_

The first one is a male......tail is way to thick to be a female......at this time of year it would be highly unusual for a viviparous species to be showing signs of being gravid, as the mating in autumn should have dropped by now and this springs mating would not yet be apparent. Usually in about a month females start to show signs in the larger elapids.

Your lizard is a gravid Jacky Dragon _Amphibolurus muricatus_. As these are oviparous they are often seen gravid at this time of year



Cheers,
Scott Eipper


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 8, 2007)

LOL lowlands are nice 

hey snakeholic,while where on the on the topic theres three subspecies of copperhead

highlands copperhead _Austrelaps ramsayi
_
Lowlands copperhead _Austrelaps superbus

_Pygmy copperhead _Austrelaps labialis

_in the great dividng range we get the highlands form 
while down south in lower victoria and across to just across the border into SA
and in tasmania you get the lowlands,which grow bigger and differ slightly in appearance
(copperheads vary alot in colour)
and in isolated patches in SA you get the little pygmy copperhead
which as the name suggests is a smaller version of the copperhead


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## eipper (Nov 10, 2007)

Snake pimp

They are not subspecies they are full species

Cheers,
Scott


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 10, 2007)

LOL thanks you know what i mean



so for example Dugite 

genus : Pseudonaja 

species: affinis

sub species : tanneri


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## Ryan93 (Nov 10, 2007)

but isnt a mulga like creamed freckles over it
hey dont tigers have yellow bellys\


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## Jonno from ERD (Nov 10, 2007)

Ryan, 

Mulga's come in a wide range of colours, with many different patterns. One of the more commonly seen forms is cream, with black edging on each scale. They originate from southern NT, down through SA to the Eyre Peninsula.

The ventral colouration of Tiger Snakes is also variable. Some have yellow bellies, others don't.

Cheers


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## Ryan93 (Nov 10, 2007)

yeh i knew dat but you also just taught me stuff i didnt know im only 14 but still learnin


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 10, 2007)

LOL im 33 and still learning,every herp person out there is still learning and always will be
thats the beauty,it never gets boring to learn about these amazing creatures
at 14 you are at an exellent age to absorb knowledge learn everything you can 
youl neverregret it


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## bredli84 (Nov 10, 2007)

cheers for the info pimp, i had never heard of a pygmy copperhead.


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## $NaKe PiMp (Nov 10, 2007)

*[SIZE=+1]oh well heres some more info
about the little pygmy and a pic!

Pygmy Copperhead Austrelaps labialis[/SIZE]* 
The pygmy copperhead occurs in the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. 
It is now rare in the Adelaide Hills and Fleureiu Peninsula and is listed as threatened in those areas. 
It feeds on small skinks. Its venom is assumed to be similar to that of the lowland copperhead, _Austrelaps labialis_ however venom yields are much lower.


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## rumfreak (Nov 12, 2007)

it is definitely a salt water croc


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## jack (Nov 12, 2007)

so i was wondering why "yellow belly black snake" being used for a highland "copper head" is laughed at.... they are both common names, and neither is particularly accurate...


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## Snakeaholic (Nov 12, 2007)

lol you've got a point there!


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## JasonL (Nov 12, 2007)

jack said:


> so i was wondering why "yellow belly black snake" being used for a highland "copper head" is laughed at.... they are both common names, and neither is particularly accurate...



Ha, yeah your right, but I guess I prefer the use of only one dicky name per snake. In relation to the term "Yellow Bellied Black", this name ties it in with the Pseudechis genus, and they have already lost P. australis to Pseudonaja but I guess that will even them up


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