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Project Noah Nature School
Dendrelaphis punctulata
This stunning Common Tree Snake is "harmless, readily recognised as it is an agile snake with a very slender body and tail. The body colour varies from green to olive-green to black, sometimes even blue, frequently pale yellow on the throat and belly but other pale colours have been noted, blue flecks are present on the flank. Eyes are larger than in most snakes." (Wiki)
Hanging out on these trees at the edge of the waterhole at Galvan's Gorge.
This beautiful reptile is approximately 2 metres (6.56 feet) in length. I couldn't get the entire length of the snake in the picture as the tail was hidden behind branches. These snakes produce a mildly toxic venom that is not regarded as dangerous to human beings but "they will defend themselves by producing a horrible odour, and may bite. Sometimes when approached, the snake inflates its body and neck to make itself seem larger, a tactic sometimes used to scare prey." (Wiki). We were so close we could have reached out and touched this snake. It was definitely active but not remotely interested in us humans. It worked out rather well...it didn't get annoyed and we got photos! Thank you Ashley for the correct identification :)
Spotted on Sep 28, 2015
Submitted on Oct 26, 2016
12 Comments
Thank you Neil! It really is a beautiful snake. Can't believe I originally mixed it up with a Black-headed Python :D
Beautiful spotting, Liana. Love the photos of this gorgeous snake, and excellent notes too.
Thank you Hema! I'm glad you like it too :D
Cheers Mark! The angle isme standing on a rock on the edge of the waterhole, which put me higher and this lovely critter is looking down towards the water :)
@ Ashley: It was a big'n so it was easy enough to see thankfully! I hope I see a Woma too hey. As far as I'm aware they are listed as endangered...so fingers crossed.
wow!!
That 2nd pic is fabulous.
I'm glad you saw it before you ran it over! They are such beautiful snakes, and I hope you get to see a woma sometime soon :)
Fair call! Womas are beautiful snakes...most certainly on my list of critters to see. I remember actually seeing a Black-headed Python (it really was one :D). I nearly ran over it traveling along the Gibb. It had been sitting on the road, probably just crossing I think. I did jump out to have a look but I didn't have a camera on me!
No worries! Black-headed pythons and womas are my favorite Australian snakes (have a woma of my own and would love a black-headed but they are still super expensive), so I am familiar with how they look! If this had been labeled as just about anything else I wouldn't have double checked ;)
Ashley, I don't know how you did that but I'm glad you did! Thank you for the correct identification. I looked through a whole bunch of images and compared them...there is a huge difference between them! Literally ha ha I did see quite a few pictures with similar colours as this one which was good. By the time I had finished reading about Black-headed Pythons I had convinced myself that's what it was. Now I just have to put it back on my list of critters to see. Cheers mate! Liana
I'm pretty sure this is a common tree snake, Dendrelaphis punctulata. I'm not positive of that, but I am sure that it isn't a black-headed python! They have a solid black head with prominent banding on the body, and one this long would be much thicker than your snake is. Take a look at the tree snake and see what you think :)