Before you phone up to have a snake removed, maybe you might like to try to identify the snake you have and decide whether you really need the snake catcher to come out and remove this snake.

 * While Wildlife Answers CAN NOT give a positive ID over the phone, if you have captured an image of the snake and can email it to us, we will attempt to give you an ID by return email.           info@wildlifeanswers.com.au 

The following photographs and descriptions are to be used only as a guide.
                                         Pythons

Carpet python  Morelia spilota mcdowelli

Commonness: Very common
Danger: Non-venomous
Probably the most commonly encountered snake in and around Brisbane. Non-venomous, but capable of giving a serious bite if provoked. Use constriction to subdue prey.

Diet : Rodents, Mammals, birds, lizards, frogs.

Pythons and most especially Carpet Pythons are commonly found on or inside the roof of many houses in Queensland. They cause little to no problem to the home owner  and probably do them a service by eliminating rats and mice and detering possums from this area.

Common tree snake   Dendrelaphis punctulatus

Commonness: Very common

Danger: Non-venomous
Often call the Green Tree Snake, this snake can vary greatly in color from black to blue to green. It is often killed as a mistakenly identified "Yellow Bellied Black Snake", in SE QLD there are no  "Yellow Bellied Black Snakes". It is one of the most commonly encountered snakes in and around Brisbane. Active during the daytime, when it looks for food

BeDiet: Frogs, small lizards, fish and tadpoles occasionally small birds and mammals

Brown tree snake   Boiga irregularis

Commonness: Common

Danger: Non-venomous However bites can cause serious  reactions especially in young children.
Common in and around Brisbane. Adults feed mainly on birds, including birds in cages. Active at night.

Diet: small birds and eggs, occasionally small mammals

Keelback   Tropidonophis mairii

Commonness: Common

Danger: Non-venomous
Common around waterways. This non-venomous species superficially resembles the highly toxic rough-scaled snake. Identification may require close inspection.

Diet: Mainly frogs and tadpoles, occasionally fish lizards and mammals

Elapid Snakes

White-crowned snake Cacophis harriettae

Commonness: Very common

Danger: Venomous

Commonly encountered in suburban Brisbane and the surrounding areas.

Diet: Small skinks and lizards.

Golden-crowned snake Cacophis squamulosus

Commonness: Common

Danger: Venomous

Commonly encountered in suburban Brisbane and the surrounding areas. Nocturnal feeders. Prefers moist  rainforest environments.

Diet: Small frogs, lizards, etc

Carpentaria snake Cryptophis boschmai

Commonness: Uncommon

Danger: Potentially dangerous
Found in the Brisbane valley and north of Brisbane.

Diet: Nocturnal feeder.

Eastern small-eyed snake Cryptophis nigrescens

Commonness: Very common

Danger: Highly venomous

Often mistaken for juvenile red-bellied black snakes. They have smaller eyes and the red on the belly does not extend up the sides of the body as it does in red-bellied black snakes.

Diet: Feds on insects, bugs, beetles, invertebrates.

Yellow-faced whipsnake  Demansia psammophis

Commonness: Very common

Danger: Venomous

A fast, active species around South East Queensland. Note the black comma around the eye

Diet: Feeds by day on small lizards. Very fast

Red-naped snake Furina diadema

Commonness: Common

Danger: Venomous

Common in drier areas West and North-west of Brisbane.Often mistaken for a juvenile Eastern Brown

Diet: Nocturnal hunter feds on skinks 

Marsh snake    Hemiaspis signata

Commonness: Common

Danger: Venomous 

Found in well-watered areas. Active by day or on warmer nights

Diet: Small frogs and lizards.

Stephens' banded snake  Hoplocephalus stephensii

Commonness: Uncommon

Danger: Highly venomous

A tree-climbing, rainforest-dwelling species that is found on the mountain ranges surrounding Brisbane.

Diet: Nocturnal hunter feeding on mammals, reptiles and frogs.

Tiger snake  Notechis scutatus

Commonness: Uncommon

Danger: Highly venomous

Restricted to mountain rainforest environments and some low-lying areas around the Sunshine Coast. Active by day or on warmer nights

Diet: Frog, reptiles birds and mammals

Coastal taipan Oxyuranus scutellatus

Commonness: Uncommon

Danger: Highly venomous

One of Australia's most infamous snakes. Fast, agile, highly nervous, but preferring to get out of your way rather than biting you. Active by day.

Diet: feeds on mammals, including rats. Vey fast strike and highly venomous. Strikes and releases prey.

Red-bellied black snake  Pseudechis porphyriacus

Commonness: Common

Danger: Highly venomous

Can be common around waterways, creeks and riverbanks. Active by day.

Diet: Frogs reptiles, including other snakes and small mammals.

Eastern brown snake  Pseudonaja textilis

Commonness: Very common

Danger: Highly venomous

One of the most commonly encountered large snakes in Brisbane, this species has adapted well to urban and rural environments. Nervous and very dangerous if provoked.

Diet: Frogs, reptiles, birds & mammals through envenomation and constriction.

Rough-scaled snake Tropidechis carinatus

Commonness: Common

Danger: Highly venomous

Tends to be found in mountain rainforest environments, but has been recorded from low-lying areas in and around Brisbane. Bother terrestrial and arborial.

Diet: Frogs lizards and small mammals.

Bandy-bandy  Vermicella annulata

Commonness: Common

Danger: Venomous
 
A secretive snake sometimes seen after light rain. They put on an impressive display when threatened, by arching and forming loops with their body. Also a burrowing snake.

Diet: Feeds primarily on blind snakes

"Snake-like" Lizards

all of these lizards are common in SE QLD and pose no threat to you or your family

Burton's legless lizard  Lialis burtonis

Commonness: Very common

Danger: Non-venomous
The angular snout of this legless lizard makes it easily distinguishable from a snake

Diet: Specialized predator of other lizards.

Common scaly-foot Pygopus lepidopodus

Commonness: Common

Danger: Non-venomous
Can be distinguished from snakes by the thick-fleshy tongue and the prominent ear opening behind the eye

Diet: Ants and ant eggs, small bugs and insects.

Three-toed burrowing skink  Anomalopus verreauxii

 

Commonness: Common

Danger: Non-venomous
Can be distinguished from snakes by the thick-fleshy tongue, prominent ear opening behind the eye and the small legs.

Diet: Ants and ant eggs, small bugs and insects.

Common Lizards

these are the most commonly found  reptiles in SE QLD

Commonness: Very common

Danger: Non-venomous, but bites hard
A familiar visitor to many backyards, many of these skinks unfortunately fall victim to cats, dogs, cars and lawn mowers. Active by day.

Diet: Omnivorous foragers. Beetles, larvae, grasshoppers, snails, slugs, worms and vegetation. They also often are found eating dog food in backyards.

Pink-tongued skink  Cyclodomorphus gerrardii

Commonness: Common

Danger: Non-venomous
Looking a bit like a dark blue-tongued skink, pink tongues are active at night and are good climbers and as such can access buildings from surrounding trees

Diet: Omnivorous. Slugs and snails, vegetation.

Commonness: Common

Danger: Non-venomous
Bearded dragons are often wrongly called frill-necked dragons.

Diet: Omnivorous. Invertebrates, small vertebrates, vegetation, some fruits and flowers

Commonness: Common

Danger: Non-venomous
These big, active sun-loving dragons are very common around water ways, including storm water drain systems. The males develop a rich burgundy colour on their bellies during breeding season. This red belly is often mistaken for blood or injury.

Diet: Omnivorous. Various insects, worms, snails, fish, skinks, yabbies and vegetation. 

Commonness: Common

Danger: Non-venomous
While basking on roads, these goannas are often hit by cars.

They have big claws and very sharp teeth, so should be treated with caution.

Diet: Foragers. Eat vertebrates, invertebrates and larvae, including fish, frogs, eggs, lizards, snakes, birds and other small mammals. Carrion eaters.