YELLOW-FACED WHIP SNAKE
Significance to Humans:
Potentially Dangerous, more so if children are bitten. Potentially life threatening to smaller pets however fatalities are rare.
Bite may cause localised pain & swelling ranging from moderate to severe symptoms depending on the individual and dose of venom. Apply correct first aid and seek medical attention.
General description:
Very slender snake with long, thin whip-like tail. Large prominent eyes. Colour generally pale olive or bluish-grey, often with rusty flush or longitudinal stripes along front-third of body. Belly grayish-green, often yellowish under tail. Distinctive face markings. Obvious pale cream or yellow rim around eye, with dark comma-shaped marking curving back below eye. Dark bar or line with pale edges runs across front of snout from nostril-to-nostril. Scales smooth. Midbody scales at 15 rows.
Average Length:
65-70cm, but specimens up to 80cm have been recorded locally.
Habitat in SE Qld:
Dry open areas, open forest, woodland, grassland and a frequent species around homes.
General habits:
Swift-moving, alert, diurnal snake. Good vision, active hunter.
Diet:
Swift, fast-moving lizards such as skinks.
Local distribution:
Found throughout most suburbs of the Sunshine Coast but less frequently in inner city urban environments.
Around the home:
Frequently seen and commonly enters homes during active foraging efforts. Apparently common due to the high densities of favored skink prey. Will utilise a range of ground localities for refuge including constructed rock and sleeper retaining walls, under rocks, sheets of iron, timber piles and other discarded human litter. Nine individuals were captured under one piece of plastic in a Goodna (Brisbane) backyard along side an Eastern Brown Snake. Frequent victim of roaming suburban cats.
VENOMOUS (POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS)
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