Do you want to learn about the types of snakes in Tasmania?

If so, you have come to the right place. In the article below, I have listed the most common snakes you can expect to see. For each species, you will find out how to identify that snake correctly, along with pictures and interesting facts!

You’ll see that the snakes that live in Tasmania are very different from each other. They range from incredibly venomous species to snakes that use constriction to immobilize their prey. In addition, certain snakes are common to find living around people.

4 COMMON types of snakes in Tasmania:

#1. Tiger Snake

Notechis scutatus

Also known as the Mainland Tiger Snake.

Identifying Characteristics:

Adults can reach 120 cm (47 in) long. As their name suggests, their bodies are covered by bands resembling tigerskin.
Morph #1 (Common): Olive, green, or brown with cream-colored crossbands
Morph #2 (Western): Dark blue or black with yellow bands
Morph #3 (Chappell Island): Black, brown, or olive with lighter bands
Morph #4 (King Island and Tasmanian): Deep black with light crossbands or a uniform brown with no banding
Morph #5 (Southern Peninsulas): Black with white chin and lips

The Tiger Snake is the 4th most venomous snake in Tasmania!

Keep a watchful eye out for these snakes while trekking in coastal regions. These ground-dwellers love to bask in the sun or rest under fallen trees. But, incredibly, they’re just as adept at swimming and climbing as they are on the ground.

If cornered, this reptile will lift and flatten its forebody before swiftly striking. It can be aggressive toward humans, so keep your distance.

The bite of a Tiger Snake warrants an immediate trip to the hospital. You may initially experience numbness, profuse sweating, or difficulty breathing if you’re bitten. Unfortunately, victims have only about a 50% survival rate without treatment.

#2. Lowlands Copperhead

Austrelaps superbus

Also known as the Copperhead Snake and Common Copperhead.

Identifying Characteristics:

Adults are 100-150 cm (39-59 in) long.
Their heads are small and narrow, and they have distinct, raised scales.
They are typically reddish-brown to copper. Some individuals are shades of gray.

You’ll find the highly venomous Lowlands Copperhead near Tasmania’s freshwater scrublands, swamps, and marshes. Sometimes, they wander into urban settlements in search of food, so stay alert!

Lowlands Copperheads have a taste for frogs and lizards, but they sometimes cannibalize their own kind. When they’re not hunting, they take refuge in abandoned animal burrows. Unlike other snakes, they can tolerate colder temperatures and are active even during winter.

Though otherwise shy, Lowlands Copperheads will hiss and thrash when approached. Their bites can cause a loss of consciousness, convulsions, and even death. Luckily, the same antivenom used for Tiger Snake bites works just as well against this species. So if you’re bitten, get medical help right away!

#3. White-lipped Snake

Drysdalia coronoides

Identifying Characteristics:

Adults grow up to 40 cm (16 in) long. They have slender bodies with tapered tails.
Their body coloring is light brown to dark olive. Some have orange bellies.
As their name suggests, they have a prominent white line above their lips. This line runs parallel to a black one, reaching behind their jaws at both sides of the head.

You can find White-lipped Snakes in Tasmania near grassy and forested regions.

Impressively, White-lipped Snakes can withstand the bitter cold! You might cross paths with one while hiking on Mount Kosciuszko, the continent’s tallest mountain. Because of their small bodies, these snakes are more agile and can generate heat through movement.

Typically reclusive, White-lipped Snakes will quickly flee if you approach them. Most of the time, their venom is too mild to harm healthy adults. However, some people can be more sensitive to its venom, so getting medical help is still important if you’re bitten.

#4. Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis platurus

Also known as the Pelagic Sea Snake.

Types of snakes in Tasmania — Credit (left image): Aloaiza, (right image): Carpenter0, via Wikimedia Commons

Identifying Characteristics:

Adults grow to 70 cm (28 in) in length.
They have narrow heads, long snouts, and flattened flipper-like tails.
Their coloring is bright yellow on the belly and deep brown or black above.

Yellow-bellied Sea Snakes are spotted swimming in tropical waters across the Indian Ocean. Stay vigilant while on beach walks, as you’ll almost certainly see this snake in Tasmania! They make breeding grounds out of free-drifting masses of sea kelp.

Yellow-bellied Sea Snakes are frighteningly agile while underwater. Capable of swimming backward or changing direction in a split second, they can catch any passing prey. They also stay motionless for hours to trick fish into coming close. In open waters, they sometimes gather and hunt by the thousands.

The Yellow-bellied Sea Snake’s bite is highly venomous. Victims suffer muscle pain and drowsiness, or even complete paralysis and death in the worst cases. Most bites happen on beaches, where the snakes sometimes wash ashore.