small eyed snakes

[Daryl_H]

hi there i was justwondering if anyone else has found small eyed snakes very far south i have found the on the mornigton pensulas,
they seem to be diff to the other population i havent found one that more than 320mm in toatal lenth just wondering if this is a diff local type of they just dont grow as big cause of the lack of bigger prey:?

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Hi Daryl, I personally have never herped that far south but the Mornington Peninsula and just west of there are definately within the range of Small-eyed Snakes. There is as far as I know no evidence suggesting that population is isolated. If their small size is related to prey it is more likely related to quantity of prey as they ussually eat mainly frogs and skinks for which there is only a small range of sizes they could eat anyway. There are other possible factors like climate but as I see hugely varied sizes in national parks within 200km of each other I think quantitiy of prey seems a liklier explanation.
Hope that helps.

 

[Daryl_H]

thanks geck kinda dose help

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

I get called out to small eyed snakes every year. They occur in a few places here on the Mornington peninsula. Balnarring, Mt Martha, Mt Eliza and Rosebud to name just a few localities,
have all got populations of them.
This year alone i have caught a dozen at least.
They are smaller than the northern ones and colouration varies a lot down here, from silver, grey, bluish colours to solid black black
Biggest ones usually average 36 cms with only a couple of notable exceptions including one 45 cm this year.

 

[Daryl_H]

I get called out to small eyed snakes every year. They occur in a few places here on the Mornington peninsula. Balnarring, Mt Martha, Mt Eliza and Rosebud to name just a few localities,
have all got populations of them.
This year alone i have caught a dozen at least.
They are smaller than the northern ones and colouration varies a lot down here, from silver, grey, bluish colours to solid black black
Biggest ones usually average 36 cms with only a couple of notable exceptions including one 45 cm this year.

many have a pink tinge to the under side of the bellie?

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

These five were under some paving in Merricks.

 

[pseudechis4740]

Have found them around the Narracan dam in the Latrobe Valley. The Mornington Peninsula is probably further south depending on where on the peninsula we are talking.

 

[sookie]

Could sumone please explain a bit more about these small-eyed snakes.i need to get a better ref book.

 

[Snakeluvver2]

Encyclopedia of Australian Reptiles

 

[solar 17]

l used to live half way between Mt. Martha and Dromana on the Nepean Highway and there reasonable numbers on that place.....solar 17 [Baden]

 

[Daryl_H]

ssssssnakeman they are alot bigger than i have ever found

i have only found about 15 in 5 years while herping all being under 30 cms

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

A local landscaper rang me after turning up about 15 a few weeks ago when he moved a large boulder.
Thankfully,he left them alone and went and had a countermeal, and when he came back they were all gone.,

 

[GeckPhotographer]

15 is a lot of snakes.

many have a pink tinge to the under side of the bellie?

All Small-eyeds 'should' have a pink to redish tinge to the belly which does not continue onto the side enough to be seen without lifting the animal (As apposed to Red-bellied Blacks whos red tinge is obvious from the side of the animal, and often more reduced on the belly.).

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

[video=youtube;CbdOH0OujL4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbdOH0OujL4[/video]

Got some footage of small eyeds the other day

 

[vicherps]

15 is a lot of snakes.



All Small-eyeds 'should' have a pink to redish tinge to the belly which does not continue onto the side enough to be seen without lifting the animal (As apposed to Red-bellied Blacks whos red tinge is obvious from the side of the animal, and often more reduced on the belly.).

Stephen not all Small-eyed Snake specimens have pinkish bellys, they can also have greyish and creamish bellys.

 

[dayfnq]

You're not worried about being bitten by small-eyeds, snakeman?

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

Of course i would hate to bitten by a smalleyed snake, I have seen a few and they were the first snake that bred for me
in 1981/82 in a small pit in my mum and dads backyard.

 

[junglepython2]

15 is a lot of snakes.



All Small-eyeds 'should' have a pink to redish tinge to the belly which does not continue onto the side enough to be seen without lifting the animal (As apposed to Red-bellied Blacks whos red tinge is obvious from the side of the animal, and often more reduced on the belly.).

I found a couple on the weekend with cream bellies with not red/pink at all.

 

[Poggle]

I found a couple on the weekend with cream bellies with not red/pink at all.

i have also caught a couple now with no pinkish tinge

 

[Hoplophile]

Bites from Small-eyed Snakes

My understanding is that there have been some very bad bites from small eyed snakes. Mainly larger northern specimens but I'd regard all of them as "Dangerous" so no free handling for me. The following is a quote from the Australian Venom Research Unit at Melbourne Uni. They regard them as "Very Dangerous".

[h=1]Small-Eyed Snake (Rhinoplocephalus nigrescens)[/h] in

• Small eyed snakes

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| valign="top" | The small-eyed snake, also called the eastern small-eyed snake, is widely distributed along the east coast of Australia, from Victoria to Cape York. This snake lives in wooded areas, where is hunts small reptiles or frogs at night. The body is slender and usually black or greyish-brown. The average length is around 0.5m, with a maximum of 1.2m. Small litters of 2 to 5 young are liveborn. Little is known of the toxicity of this snake's venom, although illnesses have occurred, usually in snake handlers, and one fatality has been associated with a bite from this species. Myotoxicity is a feature of envenomation. The venom is neutralized by tiger snake antivenom.

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