# Black Headed Python or NOT?



## blackghost (Dec 16, 2007)

Wouldn't want to get this cute little guy mixed up with a BHP...


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## blackghost (Dec 16, 2007)

Detailed information on the Gwardar...

The gwardar or western brown snake is distributed over most of Australia, with the exception of eastern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Its range overlaps that of the eastern brown snake. Mostly active during the day, the gwardar has similar feeding habits to the common brown snake, but is said to be less aggressive than its eastern counterpart. The adult is usually olive to brown, and may have a dark head or a number of broad bands.


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## jay76 (Dec 16, 2007)

They are a nice looking snake


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## scorps (Dec 16, 2007)

hahah see one of those illegal herp catchers get bitten theyull be like yay a bhp run over hahaha


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## mysnakesau (Dec 16, 2007)

WOW! I would have thought it was a BHP, and knowin me would have went straight to it and picked it up.


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## moosenoose (Dec 16, 2007)

Well... I thought straight off it was in inland taipan- but I was still wrong :lol:


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## blackghost (Dec 16, 2007)

jay76 said:


> They are a nice looking snake


 
They are a very beautiful looking snake, but after seeing this snake, I was curious on finding out more info on it. Just from a few examples below, they seem to have a pretty lethal injection....

* Female, 61 years. Western brownsnake or gwardar (_Pseudonaja nuchalis_). Bitten 3 p.m. on lower leg. No first-aid applied. 
Walked a considerable distance after bite. Died 4.30 p.m.

* Male, 31 years. Western brownsnake or gwardar (_Pseudonaja nuchalis_). Unwitnessed. Snake in bucket, victim found unconscious 
with head injuries. Assumed to have been bitten resulting in a fall. Antivenom administered at Derby Hospital but with no improvement 
patient air-ambulanced to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where he died. 

blackghost


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## Jonno from ERD (Dec 16, 2007)

G'day blackghost,

While you are correct that Western Browns are incredibly dangerous, you will notice one similarity between those two bites - the correct first aid procedure was not followed. With correct first aid, your chances of surviving a bite from any Australian venomous snake is very high.

I know of three bites that have almost killed mates of mine. They are definitely not a snake to mess with, and the venom is very fast acting.

May I ask where you got that photo from? I would be interested in acquiring some high quality copies of it for use in our field guides.

Cheers


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## blackghost (Dec 16, 2007)

pm sent Jonno

blackghost


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## bigguy (Dec 16, 2007)

That colouration of Western Brown is commonly found near Elliot in the NT. The first one I saw there was the brightest fluro orange you could imagine, with black checking around every scale. It was in my opinion the nicest coloured snake I had seen to this day


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## Jonno from ERD (Dec 16, 2007)

They are also very common around Alice Springs. I have one here that is identical, just smaller.


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## CodeRed (Dec 17, 2007)

That is one beautiful snake.


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## mungus (Dec 17, 2007)

My mate reckons he saw something very similiar on the Vic / Nsw border near the snow fields while he was trout fishing.
Is this possible ????


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## urodacus_au (Dec 17, 2007)

The hooded form is common out through the Wheatbelt in WA as well. The animals i have attempted to photograph have had more flecking on the body scales and the background colour varies from a yellow gold to an almost red. By far the most attractive Elapid ive ever seen, pity they arent overly cooperative when ive got the camera with me 

Jordan


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## blackghost (Dec 17, 2007)

mungus said:


> My mate reckons he saw something very similiar on the Vic / Nsw border near the snow fields while he was trout fishing.
> Is this possible ????


 

I was actually going to ask Jonno from ERD if these guys are found around the Gold 
Coast/Brisbane area or even Queensland itself? But it would also be interesting to find out if 
they are as far south as you said above mungus. Although, surely they couldn't be that diverse 
in ranging from such hot areas as N.T and Alice Springs, then as far south as the VIC/NSW 
borders? 

But back to my original question to Jonno, and please I am only assuming that you may know 
Jonno...are theses guys located around this area and are there any captive bred Gwardar's 
with the same colouration and markings as pictured in my original post? Would also be 
interested in finding out costs etc.

I would also be curious to find out if the Gwardar, just like the BHP bury themselves and use 
their black heads to absorb the heat from the sun?

Thanks Jonno...

blackghost


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## waruikazi (Dec 17, 2007)

I thought it lookedlike an inland taipan. Guess that's why i don't work with hots lol.


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## urodacus_au (Dec 17, 2007)

waruikazi said:


> I thought it lookedlike an inland taipan. Guess that's why i don't work with hots lol.



Guess it doesnt really matter, can end up equally as dead from either species :lol:


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## Jonno from ERD (Dec 17, 2007)

G'day blackghost,

Western Brown Snakes (or Gwardars as they are known in WA) are incredibly variable, with many different colourations occuring in a single area. They are actually a species complex, and are the subject of some highly confusing taxonomical studies at the moment. Because of this, I doubt their colouration has much to do with thermoregulation.

They do occur in Queensland, but not on the east coast. I am unsure of their closest point, but I would say you'd need to travel at least 400km west to get them, and most probably to the western side of the Brigalow belt which is 800-1000km west. 

I have only tried to breed Western Browns on one occassion, at my previous work place. The pair that I introduced mated vigorously, but all she laid was a clutch of infertile eggs. I was using Eyre Peninsula animals, which are quite a large Western Brown, achieving 1.8m+ in size. I know of a couple of people who have bred them once or twice, but the only person that I know of who breeds (or bred) them with any regularity is Brian Bush. He is lots of great information about Western Browns on his site.

They are definitely of breeding interest to us, but at the moment they are on the back burner until we can find a machine that creates more hours in the day.

Cheers,

Jonno


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