Common Death Adder

Snakes of South East Queensland

Common Death Adder

Acanthophis antarcticus
Other common names: Death Adder
Common Death Adder

Species Profile

Significance to Humans:

Highly Venomous
Bites from this species have caused human fatalities. A ready biter only if harassed. Bites from this species should be treated immediately and attended to with correct first aid.

General description:

Short, thick body with distinct large triangular head. Narrow neck and abruptly short, thin tail, usually cream or black. Colour variable, generally shades of grey to reddish-brown with irregular cross-banding. Belly greyish-cream with dark flecks. Lips usually barred or striped. Scales may be roughish or weakly keeled. Midbody scales at 21 -23 rows.

Average Length:

40-50cm. Specimens as large as 75cm are uncommon.

Habitat in SE Qld:

Remnant or established eucalypt forest, woodland with grassy understorey and good leaf cover. Rock outcrops and ridgelines are often associated with preferable habitat.

General habits:

Nocturnal, secretive and highly cryptic it lies half-buried in substrate to ambush prey often using its tail tip to attract prey.

Diet:

Small mammals, lizards, frogs and other reptiles.

Local distribution:

The specific nature of required habitat sees this species restricted to remnant forest areas of the D’Aguilar Range including Mt Nebo and Mt Glorious. It also occurs to the south. Outside of these areas the only reliable suburban record of late came from the front verandah of a home in Upper Brookfield.

Around the home:

The specific nature of required habitat makes encounters a rare event. However, the species preference for heavy leaf litter may see it turn up in forested gardens near suitable habitat.

Photo Gallery

Please be patient while our image gallery loads. If viewing images in the lightbox viewer by clicking on an image, please allow a few second between each image as some images are large to retain their quality and size. Images are loaded straight from Google Photos. If blank spaces appear in gallery please refresh your page.
All image are the property of the website or respected owner and can not be re-used without permission. Copyright applies.

Photo ID Photo ID

Did you know WildlifeQld offers a snake & Lizard identification service. For our identification service simply use the upload form on www.snakecatchers.com.au We provide our Australian snake identification service free of charge and always welcome high quality images for potential inclusion on our website. This service is not just for Queensland snake identification but for all snake id across Australia.

The content on this page is intended only to provide a summary and general overview . It is not intended to be comprehensive nor does it constitute to be exact in every circumstances. We attempt to ensure that the Content is current but we do not guarantee its currency.