# Flared neck?



## mavisbrown (Aug 21, 2016)

Hello snake people, 
Hope you can help me. I live in the Northern Rivers NSW and I'd like help identifying a maybe-snake.
My dog just bailed up a snake and from about 20m away it looked like it had a flared neck, as it reared up about a foot off the ground.
The area I saw it is rocky and bushy.

Do you know of any breed that could be? 

My eyesight is not that good, so there's a small possibility it may have been a goanna. Although it seemed to slide away and I did not hear any noise (like a goanna makes) through the long grass as it took off.


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## pythoninfinite (Aug 22, 2016)

A number of dangerous snakes flare their necks when threatened - Tigers, Red Bellies, and King Browns especially will flatten their fore-bodies when sending "leave me alone" messages. Not so common with Browns. In any event, your dog will come off very poorly if it tackles any of them and gets bitten. I know it's difficult to keep interested or obsessed dogs away from reptiles (I have 2 Jack Russells and they are obsessed with reptiles, so I have to keep them indoors during the warmth of the day so that they leave our local herps in peace). but you should do whatever you can to reduce the chances of encounters between your dog and reptiles.

Jamie


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## alexbee (Aug 23, 2016)

red flecked spitting cobra


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## Herpo (Aug 23, 2016)

It sounds like it could be one of the vens pythoninfinite mentioned. I've stumbled into a red belly before, about a meter away, and he flared up at me much like a cobra, but without a hood, as it flattens itself out. Its unlikely to be a monitor if there was no noise as it escaped.


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