# Snake Skin ID



## monkeyboy (Oct 10, 2009)

Hey guys, found this very freshly shed skin in my backyard earlier tonight. Was out all day so could have been left there anytime today. Pretty sure I know what it is but I'm a python dude so I thought Id ask for a second, 3rd, 4th opinion. It is 1600mm long and basically brown, the eye caps and everything are pristine. My backyard is about 12 acres at Pimpama on the Gold Coast and to say it is a bit snakey is an understatement, the local association of the limbless have regular meetings out back and nominate one or more to try to get in to my rats and mice. Keeps you on your toes.....If I told you how many reptiles I see here almost daily you would think I was dreaming, local developments are squeesing everything in tighter too, in a few years all this wildlife will be evicted and probably crushed under bulldozers. 
Anywhoo, 
What do we reckon???
Respect, Steve


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## ssssmithy (Oct 10, 2009)

eastern brown mate


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## Jdsixtyone (Oct 10, 2009)

Yep eastern brown. Aggresive snakes and they r everywhere at my horses.


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## Australis (Oct 11, 2009)

Dont let a loreal scale get in the way of things.


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## Fuscus (Oct 11, 2009)

Australis said:


> Dont let a loreal scale get in the way of things.


I noticed that too. My money is on a GTS


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## Lewy (Oct 11, 2009)

Yep Id go with green tree snake


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## Firepac (Oct 11, 2009)

Would like to see more of the scale down the middle of its back to be sure but from what I can see my money is on Boiga Irregularis.


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## Serpentes (Oct 11, 2009)

A mid-body scale count is always helpful with slough ID. It's a common tree snake _Dendrelaphis punctulatus_ at first guess. 

The two lateral creases running up the belly scales are give-aways, but there also looks to be a loreal scale between the nasal and the preocular.


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## redbellybite (Oct 11, 2009)

GTS ...bts have more boppy bigger eye caps ...dont take into account the colour of a shed skin ...just because its brown means its a brown snake,this is not so ....if you look at the scale shape you can see its that of a GTS, plus not ignoring the loreal scale (which is the middle scale between the nasal and the eye,elapids do not have a loreal scale ).


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## ssssmithy (Oct 11, 2009)

Australis said:


> Dont let a loreal scale get in the way of things.


 
didnt notice that :lol: jumped the gun there lol


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## monkeyboy (Oct 11, 2009)

Thanks for the replies, I initially thought Eastern Brown too, like I said, I'm a python dude, plus the fact that Pimpama is famous for its EB population. Next time I do see an Eastern Brown I'll ask him nicely to stay still while I check for a Loreal Scale.:shock: 
Makes no sence though that it's a Green Tree Snake, it was on the ground??? Also, for that matter my Carpet Pythons almost never go on the carpet, and as much as I scent pinky rats with olives, the olive hatchies wont touch them. Wierd. Hahaha.

Can anyone tell me where I can go to find out this sort of stuff? Like detailed fact sheets with acurate drawings of scales etc to identify/learn about a species. I have a few books etc and for some snakes it has these drawings but not for all, any ideas? I found a fact sheet on Keelbacks and the head scales look identical but it had no pic or diagram of the body scales, although it did say that the mid body scales were in 15 rows whereas the skin I have is 13 rows.

Respect, Steve.


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## Serpentes (Oct 12, 2009)

monkeyboy said:


> Makes no sence though that it's a Green Tree Snake, it was on the ground??? Also, for that matter my Carpet Pythons almost never go on the carpet, and as much as I scent pinky rats with olives, the olive hatchies wont touch them.


Nice one 

The best single reference book is still Cogger's Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Can't really get by without my Cogger. There are also species description papers for certain difficult species, but these papers can be hard to access without journal subscriptions. So Cogger it is, combined with other sources like Wilson and Swans book, you can get a reasonable ID on most species.


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## monkeyboy (Oct 12, 2009)

Yeah I have the Wilson/Swan book and one by Cogger, but its not the big one, its called Australian Reptiles in Colour. We should have a thread on here where people can post links or info on species ID.


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## mysnakesau (Oct 12, 2009)

Australis said:


> Dont let a loreal scale get in the way of things.



You're a cheeky bugger. But very well written - not telling them they're wrong and not offering your own answer, either.


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## redbellybite (Oct 12, 2009)

monkeyboy said:


> Thanks for the replies, I initially thought Eastern Brown too, like I said, I'm a python dude, plus the fact that Pimpama is famous for its EB population. Next time I do see an Eastern Brown I'll ask him nicely to stay still while I check for a Loreal Scale.:shock:
> Makes no sence though that it's a Green Tree Snake, it was on the ground??? Also, for that matter my Carpet Pythons almost never go on the carpet, and as much as I scent pinky rats with olives, the olive hatchies wont touch them. Wierd. Hahaha.
> 
> Can anyone tell me where I can go to find out this sort of stuff? Like detailed fact sheets with acurate drawings of scales etc to identify/learn about a species. I have a few books etc and for some snakes it has these drawings but not for all, any ideas? I found a fact sheet on Keelbacks and the head scales look identical but it had no pic or diagram of the body scales, although it did say that the mid body scales were in 15 rows whereas the skin I have is 13 rows.
> ...


Monkeyboy ..you dont need to actually see a live eastern brown to look for the scale ...get two decent head pics ,one of an eb and one of a gts ,then you can see yourself what the loreal scale looks like and compare them with each other ...People do get EB's and GTS 's confused in reality too ...especially the olive/brown gts, if you dont get a glance at the head up close ,as it slides pass, it can make you look twice ..and they do get along the ground, as does eastern browns, being found up in rooves and on rafters ...just cause its aboreal does'nt mean it lives its entire life up in trees and terrestrial isnt stuck to the ground


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