If you have spent any time around a creek, swamp edge or damp suburban garden in the Sydney you may have crossed paths with a Marsh Snake (Hemiaspis signata) without even realising it. They are small, dark and often go unnoticed — slipping through wet leaf litter and pond margins in pursuit of frogs and lizards.
At Sydney Snake Catcher we get occasional calls about Marsh Snakes, usually from homeowners with backyard ponds, water features or creek frontages. The good news is they are mildly venomous and not considered dangerous to humans.
The Marsh Snake (Hemiaspis signata) is a small elapid native to eastern Australia, common in wet habitats from southern Queensland through New South Wales and into Victoria. Despite being a true elapid — related to brown snakes and tiger snakes — they are not considered medically significant in human envenomation terms.
The Marsh Snake has several distinctive features that, taken together, make identification reliable:
The paired head stripes are the diagnostic feature. No other Sydney snake has quite this pattern, and even on a dark-coloured Marsh Snake the pale stripes stand out clearly in good light.
The Marsh Snake can be confused with a few species, but the differences are clear:
The combination of dark colouration, paired pale head stripes and a dark belly is unique to the Marsh Snake among Sydney's smaller elapids.
The Marsh Snake is a wetland specialist, found in habitats where water and damp ground combine with good frog populations:
Natural habitats:
Urban habitats:
They have a clear preference for damp environments. A garden with a pond, a thriving frog population and some dense ground cover is far more likely to support Marsh Snakes than a dry, manicured suburban block.
Marsh Snakes are most often encountered after rainfall and during humid periods. Several factors drive this:
When threatened, their typical responses are:
They are not aggressive snakes. The default behaviour when approached is to retreat into the nearest available cover — pond margins, leaf litter or a deep crack in the soil.
Marsh Snakes are specialist hunters of small wet-habitat prey. Their diet is dominated by:
Their dietary specialisation is part of why they are tied so closely to wetland habitats. Where there are frogs, there are Marsh Snakes. Where there are no frogs, there are no Marsh Snakes — even if the habitat otherwise looks suitable.
Marsh Snakes are venomous, but their venom is mild and their fangs are small. Bites to humans typically produce:
They are not considered dangerous to humans. There are no recorded human deaths from Marsh Snake bites in Australia.
That said, all snake bites should be treated carefully:
The reason for caution is simple: a small dark snake in poor light is easy to misidentify. A bite that the patient thinks came from a Marsh Snake may turn out to be from an Eastern Small-eyed Snake or even a juvenile Red-bellied Black. Treating all snake bites as potentially serious until medically assessed is the only safe approach.
The risk to pets is generally low. Dogs and cats bitten by Marsh Snakes usually show only mild local symptoms, but veterinary attention is still warranted if a bite is suspected.
The Marsh Snake has an unusual reproductive strategy among Sydney snakes — they are live-bearing rather than egg-laying:
The live-bearing strategy is shared with several other Australian elapids and is thought to be an adaptation to cooler, wetter conditions. By carrying developing young internally, the female can thermoregulate them through her own basking behaviour — a significant advantage in the variable weather of southeastern Australia.
If you are confident in the identification, the right response is to leave it alone. Marsh Snakes are beneficial — they help control frog populations naturally and pose no genuine risk to humans.
If you are not confident in the identification, treat it as a potentially dangerous snake until proven otherwise:
What you should not do:
If you have Marsh Snakes around your property and want to coexist successfully:
A garden with Marsh Snakes is a garden with healthy frogs, which is itself a sign of good environmental health. The species' presence is generally a positive indicator, not a problem to be solved.
The Marsh Snake (Hemiaspis signata) is a small, mildly venomous native snake that specialises in wet habitats and frog prey across the Sydney region. They are not considered dangerous to humans, and their distinctive paired pale head stripes make identification possible with a good photograph. If you have a pond, a creek or a damp garden corner with active frogs, you may well have Marsh Snakes — and that is a sign of a healthy local ecosystem, not a problem requiring intervention. If in doubt about identification, photograph from a safe distance and call a licensed reptile catcher.
Found a Marsh Snake or another reptile at your home? Sydney Snake Catcher operates 24/7 across the Greater Sydney region. We are fully licensed and insured, and we can identify and safely manage any reptile you encounter. Call 1300 599 938.
If you have ever caught a glimpse of a long, slender, grey-blue snake streaking across an open patch of ground in the middle of the day and thought "Brown Snake!" there is a reasonable chance you actually saw a Yellow-faced Whip Snake (Demansia psammophis). They are one of the most commonly misidentified snakes in the Sydney region, frequently mistaken for Eastern Brown Snakes because of their speed, alertness and habit of being out and about during the warmer parts of the day.
At Sydney Snake Catcher we field a steady stream of calls about Yellow-faced Whip Snakes, particularly from properties near bushland edges in Sydney's western and outer suburbs. The good news is they are far less dangerous than the species they are often confused with — but they are still venomous, and proper identification matters.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake (Demansia psammophis) is a small to medium-sized elapid native to a vast portion of eastern and central Australia. Despite the "whip" name, they are not related to the legless whip snakes of other countries — they are true elapids, related to brown snakes, tiger snakes and other Australian venomous species. The "whip" name comes from their lightning-fast movement and slender, whip-like body shape.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake has several distinctive features that, taken together, make identification reliable once you know what to look for:
The comma-shaped pale marking around the eye is the most reliable identification feature. No other Sydney snake has quite this pattern. Combined with the dark line across the snout and the often-present reddish neck stripes, it makes the species relatively easy to identify from a clear photograph.
This is the question that matters most. Eastern Brown Snakes are one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. Getting this identification right has real consequences.
If you are not absolutely certain, treat any unidentified snake as venomous and dangerous. Photograph it from a safe distance and send the image to a licensed reptile catcher for identification before approaching.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake is a generalist that thrives in dry, open habitats with good visibility for hunting:
Natural habitats:
Urban and semi-urban habitats:
They are not really inner-city snakes. The species is most often encountered on the bush-edge fringes of Sydney — properties where the back fence ends and the bush begins.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake is one of the fastest snakes in Australia. They are visually-oriented hunters with excellent eyesight, and they rely on sheer speed to catch fast-moving prey and to escape predators.
Their behaviour patterns include:
When threatened, their primary response is to flee at speed. Cornered, they may:
They are far less likely to stand their ground than an Eastern Brown Snake, but they will defend themselves if no escape is available.
Yellow-faced Whip Snakes are specialist hunters of fast-moving lizards. Their diet is dominated by:
Their excellent eyesight, fast strike and slender build are all adaptations to this prey preference. They hunt by sight, chase down lizards with extraordinary speed, and use their mild venom to subdue prey quickly.
The dietary specialisation is part of why they are common in habitats with high skink populations — and part of why they often turn up in gardens with thriving Eastern Water Skink or Bar-Sided Forest Skink populations.
Yellow-faced Whip Snakes are venomous, but their venom is mild and their fangs are small. Bites to humans typically produce:
They are not considered dangerous to humans in the medical sense. There are no recorded human deaths from Yellow-faced Whip Snake bites in Australia, and serious complications are very rare.
That said, bites should still be treated carefully:
The reason for taking any snake bite seriously is straightforward: in the heat of the moment, people misidentify snakes. A bite that looks like a Yellow-faced Whip Snake bite may turn out to be from a juvenile Eastern Brown Snake. Treating all snake bites as potentially serious until medically assessed is the only safe approach.
The risk to pets is variable. Small dogs and cats bitten by Yellow-faced Whip Snakes usually develop local swelling and may need veterinary attention, but bites are rarely fatal.
Yellow-faced Whip Snakes have a reproductive cycle suited to the warm-temperate climate of the Sydney region:
The communal nesting habit is one of the more interesting features of the species. Like Green Tree Snakes, Yellow-faced Whip Snakes return to proven nest sites generation after generation, and a single good site can accumulate enormous numbers of eggs over time.
If you are confident in the identification, the right response is to leave it alone. Yellow-faced Whip Snakes are beneficial — they help control skink populations and are not dangerous to humans.
If you are not confident in the identification, treat it as a potentially dangerous snake until proven otherwise:
What you should not do:
If you live on a bush-edge property and want to reduce the chances of Yellow-faced Whip Snake encounters around the house:
The trade-off is that the same garden features that support whip snakes also support a rich native ecosystem. Many bush-edge homeowners decide that having a few whip snakes around is a fair price for the broader wildlife their property supports.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake (Demansia psammophis) is one of the most commonly misidentified snakes in the Sydney region — fast, slender and often mistaken for an Eastern Brown Snake. They are mildly venomous but not dangerous to humans, and they play a useful ecological role by controlling skink populations. The distinctive comma-shaped pale eye markings, combined with the slim build and grey-blue colouring, make identification possible once you know what to look for. If in doubt, photograph from a safe distance and call a licensed reptile catcher — getting the identification right is more important than guessing.
Found a Yellow-faced Whip Snake or another reptile at your home? Sydney Snake Catcher operates 24/7 across the Greater Sydney region. We are fully licensed and insured, and we can identify and safely manage any reptile you encounter. Call 1300 599 938.
The Golden-crowned Snake (Cacophis squamulosus) is a small, nocturnal snake found in forest, sandstone country and established suburban areas of Sydney. It is most frequently encountered on warm, humid nights, particularly after rain, when it emerges to search for prey.
Golden-crowned Snakes are venomous but are not considered dangerous to humans. However, they can be confused with other small, dark-coloured snakes, including species capable of causing serious envenomation. Any unidentified snake should therefore be treated cautiously.
If you find a Golden-crowned Snake or another unidentified snake at your property, keep your distance, watch where it goes and call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938.
Sydney Snake Catcher attended approximately 47 Golden-crowned Snake call-outs during 2025, making it one of the more regularly encountered small snake species in the Sydney region.
Scientific name: Cacophis squamulosus
Family: Elapidae
Average length: Approximately 50–60 centimetres
Maximum length: Approximately 75 centimetres
Venom rating: Venomous but not considered dangerous to humans
Activity: Nocturnal
Reproduction: Egg-laying
Habitat: Forest, sandstone country, bushland and established suburban gardens
Distribution: Central New South Wales to south-eastern Queensland
Golden-crowned Snakes have a slender body, smooth scales and a distinctive pale marking across the head and neck. The upper surface is generally dark brown, grey-brown or charcoal, while the underside is pink or reddish.
Identification features include:
The pale head marking gives the species its common name. Its shape and intensity vary between individuals and may appear cream, yellow or light brown depending on the animal and lighting conditions.
Although these features can assist identification, colour and pattern should not be relied upon in isolation. Poor lighting, movement and incomplete views can make several Sydney snake species appear similar.
Do not approach, handle or turn over a snake—including a dead or apparently injured snake—to inspect its underside or other identifying features.
Golden-crowned Snakes may be confused with several other small snakes found in eastern Australia.
The Marsh Snake (Hemiaspis signata) is a small, dark-coloured snake with a pale stripe along each side of the face. These markings generally extend from the snout through or behind the eye rather than forming the crown-like marking seen in a Golden-crowned Snake.
The Eastern Small-eyed Snake (Cryptophis nigrescens) is a small, glossy black or dark grey nocturnal snake. It lacks the pale crown marking of the Golden-crowned Snake and has a pinkish belly that can become darker towards the tail.
Eastern Small-eyed Snakes are dangerously venomous. The similarity between the two species in poor light is an important reason not to identify or handle a small, dark snake without expert assistance.
The Dwarf Crowned Snake (Cacophis krefftii) is considerably smaller and has a cream or yellow hood-like marking across the nape. Its recognised distribution does not include Sydney, although it occurs farther north from the Central Coast into south-eastern Queensland.
The White-crowned Snake (Cacophis harriettae) has a more strongly contrasting pale marking around the head and neck. It occurs primarily in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland and is not a typical Sydney species.
Because small nocturnal snakes can be difficult to distinguish, any uncertain identification should be referred to an experienced snake catcher or herpetologist.
Golden-crowned Snakes occur along the east coast and adjacent ranges from central New South Wales to south-eastern Queensland. Within the Sydney region, they are particularly associated with sandstone country and are more frequently recorded in northern Sydney.
Suitable natural habitat includes:
Golden-crowned Snakes also occur in established suburban areas where suitable shelter and prey remain. They may be found in:
During the day, Golden-crowned Snakes shelter beneath rocks, logs and leaf litter. They emerge after dark to search for prey and may cross driveways, paths and lawns while moving between areas of cover.
Golden-crowned Snakes are secretive, ground-dwelling snakes that are active mainly at night. Sightings are most common during warm and humid conditions, particularly after rain.
Their usual response to disturbance is to remain still or attempt to escape. If cornered, a Golden-crowned Snake may perform a distinctive defensive display by:
This display can appear threatening but is primarily defensive. Golden-crowned Snakes rarely bite; however, they should not be handled or deliberately provoked.
Golden-crowned Snakes are nocturnal predators that feed mainly on small reptiles. They use scent to locate sleeping lizards within their night-time shelters.
Their recorded diet includes:
The availability of small lizards and suitable daytime shelter helps explain why Golden-crowned Snakes can persist in established suburban gardens near bushland.
As native predators, they form part of Sydney’s natural food web. Their presence generally indicates that suitable habitat and native prey remain in the area.
Golden-crowned Snakes are venomous members of the elapid family but are not considered dangerous to humans. They are reluctant to bite, and confirmed bites are uncommon.
Nevertheless, all suspected snakebites should receive immediate first aid and medical assessment. This is particularly important because Golden-crowned Snakes may be confused with other small, dark snakes that are capable of causing serious envenomation.
The appearance of the snake, absence of pain or lack of visible fang marks should never be used to dismiss a suspected bite.
Treat every suspected snakebite as a medical emergency.
Do not wash the bite site, cut or suck the wound, apply a tourniquet, or attempt to capture or kill the snake.
Do not remove clothing to apply the bandage. Apply it over the clothing if necessary.
Golden-crowned Snakes are not considered a significant envenomation risk to people, but pets should not be permitted to approach or attack any snake.
Dogs and cats frequently initiate encounters with snakes. This places both animals at risk and can make safe snake removal more difficult.
If a pet has been bitten or has had close physical contact with an unidentified snake, contact a veterinarian immediately. Do not rely on an assumed identification or wait for symptoms to develop.
Cats are also known to capture Golden-crowned Snakes and may carry them into homes. Keeping cats indoors, particularly at night, reduces the risk to native reptiles and prevents snakes from being brought inside.
Golden-crowned Snakes reproduce by laying eggs. Females lay between two and 15 eggs, with an average clutch containing approximately six.
Eggs are generally laid in January in sheltered locations that provide stable moisture and temperature. Hatching usually occurs in March, and the young measure approximately 16 centimetres in total length.
Hatchlings are independent from the time they emerge. Their small size means they may be mistaken for worms or other harmless animals, particularly in poor light.
Pregnant females have been observed lying on warm roads at night, possibly using the retained heat to assist the development of their eggs. This behaviour, together with their nocturnal activity, makes Golden-crowned Snakes vulnerable to vehicle strikes.
If you find a Golden-crowned Snake or another small, dark snake at your property:
Do not attempt to catch, handle, kill or relocate the snake. Native snakes are protected in New South Wales and should only be captured by an appropriately licensed snake catcher.
If the snake enters a garage, laundry or other enclosed area, close internal doors where practical and safe, keep the area undisturbed and contact a licensed catcher.
Golden-crowned Snakes are frequently observed crossing driveways, paths and roads on warm, humid nights. Their dark colouring and relatively small size make them difficult to see against bitumen, pavers and damp ground.
Properties near bushland or sandstone habitat can reduce accidental injuries by:
Golden-crowned Snakes are native wildlife and may occasionally pass through suitable suburban habitat. Complete exclusion from an outdoor property is rarely possible, but practical maintenance can reduce shelter immediately around buildings.
Recommended measures include:
Where a property adjoins bushland, leaf litter, fallen timber and native ground cover should be retained within natural habitat areas where possible. Maintenance should concentrate on the immediate area surrounding homes and frequently used structures.
The Golden-crowned Snake is a protected native species. Although it is not considered dangerous to humans, professional identification is recommended when there is any uncertainty or when a snake is found inside a building.
Sydney Snake Catcher provides professional snake identification and removal throughout Greater Sydney, 24 hours a day.
If you find a Golden-crowned Snake or another unidentified reptile, keep your distance, watch where it goes and call 1300 599 938.
If you have turned on the porch light on a warm summer evening and found a long, slender snake with oversized eyes peering down from the rafters or sliding along a fence line, you have almost certainly met a brown tree snake. It's one of the most distinctive snakes in the Sydney region, and the one most likely to turn up inside a home, shed or roof space rather than out in the open.
At Sydney Snake Catcher we get regular calls about brown tree snakes through the warmer months, especially after rain. They're excellent climbers, fearless around urban structures, and one of the few local species that will genuinely come into a house through a gap that most other snakes would walk straight past. The first thing every homeowner should know is that while this species is technically venomous, it is not considered dangerous to humans.
The brown tree snake, Boiga irregularis, is a rear fanged colubrid native to northern and eastern Australia, and also found in parts of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It's infamous internationally as the species that devastated Guam's native bird population after being accidentally introduced there in the 1940s, but within its native Australian range it's simply one part of a functioning ecosystem.
Venom rating: mildly venomous, not considered dangerous to humans Total length: around 1.2 metres average, up to 2 metres Conservation status: IUCN least concern Urban adaptation: very high Activity: strictly nocturnal, most active in the warmer months
Brown tree snakes have a very distinctive look once you know what to search for:
Slender bodied with a notably long, thin profile Head clearly distinct from the neck Very large eyes with vertical pupils, an adaptation for hunting at night Body colour ranging from reddish brown through tan to pale brown Irregular darker crossbands or saddle markings along the back Cream to yellow underbelly Long, prehensile tail used for climbing Smooth scales with a slight gloss
The slender body, oversized eyes with vertical pupils, and clearly defined head are unmistakable together. No other Sydney snake has eyes that large relative to its head, and it's the single most reliable feature to check.
Eastern brown snake: round pupils, a much shorter tail relative to body length, faster ground movement, different head shape. Eastern browns are active by day and rarely climb. Diamond python: heavier built, distinctive diamond pattern with cream centres, round pupils, a much larger jaw structure. Green tree snake: round pupils, generally green or olive colouring, active during the day rather than at night.
The vertical pupils and oversized eyes are the giveaway. A slender snake climbing a fence at night with eyes that look almost too big for its head is almost certainly a brown tree snake.
Brown tree snakes are highly adaptable and occupy a wide range of habitats. In the Sydney region they do particularly well anywhere vegetation meets built structure.
Natural habitats include open woodland and dry sclerophyll forest, rainforest margins, coastal scrub, sandstone country, and riparian vegetation along creeks and rivers.
In urban settings they turn up in roof spaces and ceiling cavities, garden sheds and garages, aviaries and chicken coops, pergolas, verandahs and external rafters, mature gardens with trees and shrubs, brick walls with deep mortar gaps, stone retaining walls, and stacked timber.
The combination of strong climbing ability and nocturnal habits means this species reaches urban structures that ground dwelling snakes never do. A brown tree snake can scale a brick wall, slip through a gap under a roof tile, and spend the day curled up in a ceiling cavity without the homeowner ever knowing it's there.
The brown tree snake is one of the most accomplished climbers in the Australian snake fauna. The prehensile tail works almost like a fifth limb, gripping branches, beams and structural edges while the body reaches forward. They can climb almost any vertical surface that offers grip, brick, bark, mesh, rough timber, and even some painted surfaces.
Their hunting style suits this lifestyle. They're ambush predators that move through vegetation at night, investigating roosting birds, sleeping lizards and the entrances to tree hollows. The large eyes give excellent low light vision, letting them hunt in conditions where most other snakes are effectively blind.
When threatened, typical behaviour includes flattening the body to look larger, raising the head and forebody, striking repeatedly with the mouth open, hissing, and coiling defensively into a tight S shape. The display is impressive and can be alarming to watch, but the bites themselves are rarely a real threat to a person.
This is where brown tree snakes generate the most calls. They're notorious nest raiders, and a backyard aviary or chicken coop full of birds is essentially an open invitation. We regularly remove them from aviaries housing finches, budgies and other small birds, chicken coops where they take eggs and chicks, roof cavities directly above bedrooms, garages and sheds with mouse populations, pergola rafters above outdoor dining areas, and external lights where geckos and moths gather.
If you find one in an enclosed space, particularly an aviary or a roof cavity, call a licensed reptile catcher. They aren't dangerous, but they aren't easy to remove either. They climb, they hide, they squeeze into tight gaps, and a homeowner attempting it themselves often ends up losing track of the snake inside the structure.
Brown tree snakes are mildly venomous. They have small fangs set toward the back of the upper jaw and produce a mild venom used to subdue prey. A bite to a person typically causes localised swelling around the site, mild pain, occasional itching or a rash, and no systemic effects in a healthy adult.
They are not considered dangerous to humans. The combination of small rear fangs, mild venom, and the difficulty this species has actually delivering venom into a human bite means confirmed bites usually produce little more than a bee sting equivalent.
Bites should still be treated properly. Wash the site with soap and water, apply a cold compress if there's swelling, and monitor for any unusual symptoms. Seek medical attention if swelling is significant or there's any sign of an allergic reaction, and children, elderly people or anyone with compromised immunity should see a doctor regardless.
There are no recorded human deaths from brown tree snake bites in Australia.
The risk to pets is more variable. Small birds in aviaries face real risk from both constriction and envenomation. Cats and dogs generally aren't at serious risk from a bite, though a smaller pet should still be monitored if bitten.
Brown tree snakes are opportunistic nocturnal predators. Diet includes birds, particularly roosting and nestling birds, bird eggs, lizards, especially geckos, frogs, small mammals such as mice, rats and small possums, and occasionally other snakes.
The willingness to raid nests is part of what makes this species so successful in suburbia. Wherever suburbs offer nesting sites, gardens, aviaries, eaves, palm trees, brown tree snakes have plenty to eat.
Mating occurs in spring and summer, with eggs laid across the same period. Clutches run from 3 to 12 soft shelled, leathery eggs, laid in moist, protected sites such as roof cavities, tree hollows, deep rock crevices and ceiling spaces. Hatchlings are fully independent from the moment they emerge.
The preference for warm, dry, protected nest sites is exactly why this species ends up in roof cavities so often. A female that finds a good one will keep using it.
The right response depends on where it is.
If it's outside, in the garden or on a fence, leave it alone. It's hunting and will move on by morning. Keep pets away and don't approach or try to capture it.
If it's inside, in a roof cavity or an enclosed structure, call a licensed reptile catcher. Sydney Snake Catcher handles this kind of removal routinely. Don't try to remove it yourself, since they climb and hide well enough that you'll likely lose track of it. Close the door to that room or space if you can, and keep children, pets and family clear of the area.
If it's in an aviary or chicken coop, remove birds and eggs from the immediate area if it's safe to do so, then call a licensed catcher. Once the snake is out, identify and seal the entry point, since brown tree snakes will return to a reliable food source.
Do not kill it. It's protected native wildlife. Do not corner it, since a cornered snake will defend itself, and while the bite isn't dangerous, it's still a bite. Do not write it off as just a tree snake and ignore it either, since a wrong identification can be an expensive mistake if it's actually inside an aviary.
Seal gaps in eaves, fascia boards and around roof tiles. Fit snake proof mesh to aviary doors and ventilation gaps, and use snake proof chicken coop mesh with an aperture under 12 millimetres. Clear dense vegetation from immediately around buildings and trim branches that overhang the roofline. Cut down food sources such as spilled bird seed, unsecured bins and exposed pet food, and deal with rodent problems, since mice and rats are a direct draw.
Are brown tree snakes dangerous to humans? No. They're mildly venomous but not considered dangerous. A bite typically causes localised swelling and mild pain, similar to a bee sting, with no recorded human deaths in Australia.
Why do brown tree snakes keep getting into my roof? They're strong climbers that hunt at night and look for warm, dry, protected spaces to shelter and breed. A roof cavity with an accessible gap is close to ideal.
Are brown tree snakes a risk to chickens or aviary birds? Yes. They're persistent nest raiders and will take eggs, chicks and small birds given the chance. This is the most common reason we're called about this species.
What should I do if I find one inside my house or shed? Close off the room if you can, keep children and pets away, and call a licensed catcher. Don't try to remove it yourself, since they climb and hide in ways that make DIY removal difficult.
The brown tree snake is one of Sydney's most distinctive species, a slender, nocturnal climber with oversized eyes that thrives in suburbia as readily as in the bush. It's mildly venomous but not dangerous to humans, with bites producing little more than localised swelling and discomfort. It is, however, a determined raider of aviaries, chicken coops and roof spaces, and removal from any enclosed structure should be handled by a licensed catcher. A brown tree snake in the garden is generally a sign the local ecosystem is intact enough to support a healthy population of birds, lizards and small mammals.
Found a brown tree snake or another reptile at your home? Sydney Snake Catcher operates 24/7 across the Greater Sydney region. We are fully licensed and insured, and we identify and safely manage any reptile you encounter. Call 1300 599 938.
At Sydney Snake Catcher we get relatively few Death Adder call-outs across the Greater Sydney region. The species has become uncommon in heavily urbanised parts of the city, and most of our Death Adder work is on the bush-edge fringes — the Central Coast, parts of the Hawkesbury, the Sutherland Shire and properties bordering national parks. But for homeowners in those areas, Death Adder awareness is essential. They are one of the few Australian snakes that genuinely require a different mindset to manage safely.
The Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) is one of the most distinctive snakes in Australia. Despite the name, they are not adders — they are elapids, related to brown snakes and tiger snakes — but they have evolved a body shape and hunting strategy that converges remarkably with the true vipers of other continents. This convergent evolution makes them look and behave more like a Gaboon Viper or a Saw-scaled Viper than like their actual Australian relatives.
The Common Death Adder is one of the easiest snakes to identify by body shape alone. Once you have seen one, the silhouette is unmistakable:
The combination of the chunky body, triangular head, short tail and pale tail-tip is unique to Death Adders in the Sydney region. No other native snake here has this body plan.
Common Death Adders have specific habitat requirements that limit their distribution within the Greater Sydney region:
Natural habitats:
Within the Sydney region, they are found primarily in:
They are essentially gone from inner-city Sydney and the densely-developed suburbs. The species needs leaf litter, sandy soils and a healthy prey base — features that have disappeared from most of the city.
The Common Death Adder is unlike any other Australian elapid in its behaviour. Where most Australian snakes are active hunters that move through their environment in search of prey, Death Adders are sit-and-wait ambush predators with a hunting strategy that has more in common with crocodiles than with their fellow elapids.
The typical hunting sequence:
This strategy has several implications for human encounters:
This is the critical thing to understand about Death Adders: they are dangerous precisely because they do not move. Other venomous snakes warn you. Death Adders do not. They simply wait, and if you put a foot in the wrong place, they bite.
Common Death Adders prey almost exclusively on small vertebrates that move past their ambush sites:
The caudal lure is one of the most striking adaptations among Australian snakes. The tail tip — usually a contrasting pale colour against the leaf litter — is wriggled slowly while the rest of the snake remains motionless. To a small lizard or bird looking for an insect, the lure looks like a worm or grub moving slowly through the leaves. The prey approaches, the snake strikes, and the hunt is over in less than a second.
Yes — extremely so, but with important nuances. Death Adder venom is highly neurotoxic, capable of causing rapid paralysis and respiratory failure. Their fangs are among the longest of any Australian elapid relative to body size, allowing effective venom delivery.
Effects of a bite to humans:
Human fatalities: Historically, Death Adders were a significant cause of snakebite deaths in Australia. With modern antivenom, fatalities have become rare. However, untreated bites remain potentially fatal, and the species' ambush behaviour means that bites can occur to people who never even knew there was a snake present.
The important nuance: bites are uncommon because most people do not encounter Death Adders by chance. The species' restricted habitat, nocturnal activity and tendency to remain hidden mean that most Sydney residents will never see one. But where encounters do occur — typically in bushland, on bush tracks, or in properties bordering national parks — the risk is real because the snake will not warn you of its presence.
The danger to pets from Death Adders is severe, though encounters are rare:
Dogs:
Cats:
If you have pets and you live in Death Adder habitat — particularly properties bordering bushland with leaf litter — keep dogs on lead when walking through bush trails and be aware that pets may be bitten without you knowing the snake was there.
Common Death Adders have a reproductive strategy adapted to their sedentary lifestyle:
Neonate Death Adders are tiny replicas of the adults, with the same banded pattern and stubby body shape. They are equally venomous, and equally inclined to remain motionless rather than flee. Death Adder hatchlings are one of the more dangerous neonates in the Australian fauna because of their venom potency and ambush behaviour.
This is one of the species where the response needs to be particularly considered.
Immediate steps:
Calling for help:
While you wait:
What you should absolutely not do:
A Death Adder bite is a true medical emergency. Treat it with maximum urgency:
A particular note about Death Adder bites: the progression of symptoms can be slow initially, but is reliably severe. Do not be lulled by an apparently slow onset. The bite is potentially fatal and requires immediate medical intervention regardless of how the patient appears in the first hour.
Pet bites require the same urgency. Get the animal to a 24-hour veterinary clinic immediately.
If you live in Death Adder habitat, these measures will reduce the chance of an encounter:
A critical point: do not assume that "tidying up" the entire garden will solve the problem. Death Adders are part of a functioning bushland ecosystem, and aggressive clearing of leaf litter destroys habitat for many beneficial species. The right approach is sensible management — clear paths, clear high-traffic areas, but leave the broader bushland intact and avoid stepping into unfamiliar leaf litter.
The Common Death Adder has declined significantly across much of its range, including parts of the Sydney region. The main pressures on the species are:
For homeowners on bush-edge properties in the Central Coast, Sutherland Shire and Hawkesbury, the species is something to manage carefully but also to respect. Death Adders are part of the ecological character of these landscapes, and their presence is an indicator of relatively intact bushland.
The Common Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) is one of Sydney's most distinctive and dangerous snakes — a sit-and-wait ambush predator that does not flee when approached and that delivers fast, accurate strikes with highly neurotoxic venom. They are restricted to bushland habitats with sandy soils and leaf litter, particularly on the Central Coast, in the Hawkesbury, and around the Sutherland Shire. Encounters are uncommon but consequential, because the species' behaviour means a person can walk right up to a Death Adder without knowing it is there.
If you encounter a Death Adder on your property, the response is non-negotiable: stop, identify its exact location, keep it in sight, back away to at least 5 metres, and call Sydney Snake Catcher. Do not attempt to handle, kill, or interact with the snake. The risk is too high. If anyone is bitten — human or pet — treat it as a life-threatening emergency. Call 000 for human bites. Apply pressure immobilisation. Do not delay.
Found a Death Adder or another reptile at your home? Sydney Snake Catcher operates 24/7 across the Greater Sydney region including the Central Coast, Hawkesbury and Sutherland Shire. We are fully licensed and insured, and we specialise in venomous snake removal. Call 1300 599 938 — day or night.
The Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus) is a large, dangerously venomous snake found across parts of southern Australia. In New South Wales, it is strongly associated with wetlands, swamps, creeks, lagoons and other areas where water and dense ground cover occur together.
Tiger Snakes are much less commonly encountered across Greater Sydney than Red-bellied Black Snakes or Eastern Brown Snakes. However, they do occur in suitable habitat and should never be ruled out simply because a snake does not have obvious bands.
If you find a Tiger Snake or any unidentified snake, keep your distance, watch where it goes and call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938.
Scientific name: Notechis scutatus
Family: Elapidae
Average length: About 1.2 metres
Maximum length: Mainland animals may reach approximately 2.1 metres
Venom rating: Dangerously venomous
Activity: Mainly active during the day
Reproduction: Gives birth to live young
Conservation status: Not listed as threatened in NSW
Tiger Snakes are moderately large, strongly built snakes with broad, deep heads that are only slightly distinct from the neck. Their bodies are noticeably more robust and muscular than those of Eastern Brown Snakes.
The classic Tiger Snake has dark olive, brown or black colouring with lighter cream or yellow crossbands. These bands give the species its common name, but they are not present in every individual.
Tiger Snakes may be:
The bands, when present, vary considerably in width and definition. Some individuals have bold, contrasting bands, while others have markings that are difficult to see. Completely unbanded Tiger Snakes also occur.
The underside is usually pale yellow, cream, grey or olive and may become darker towards the tail. The scales are relatively large and semi-glossy.
When threatened, a Tiger Snake may flatten its neck and upper body, making the head and forebody appear considerably broader.
Because Tiger Snakes vary so much in colour and pattern, identification should not be based on bands alone. Never approach a snake to inspect its markings.
Juvenile Tiger Snakes generally resemble smaller versions of the adults, but their patterning can be more distinct. They are often grey, brown or olive with pale crossbands, although unbanded juveniles also occur.
Young Tiger Snakes may be confused with several other species, including Rough-scaled Snakes and Stephens’ Banded Snakes. Depending on their colour and pattern, they may also be mistaken for juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes.
Juvenile Tiger Snakes are venomous from birth. Their smaller size does not make a suspected bite any less of a medical emergency.
The Tiger Snake’s highly variable appearance means it can be confused with several other snakes found in or near the Sydney region.
Red-bellied Black Snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus) have glossy black upper surfaces and red, pink or orange colouring along the lower sides of the body. They are also strongly associated with wetlands and waterways.
Dark, unbanded Tiger Snakes may be mistaken for Red-bellied Black Snakes, particularly when the underside cannot be seen.
Some Eastern Brown Snakes (Pseudonaja textilis) retain body bands and may superficially resemble a Tiger Snake. Eastern Brown Snakes generally have a slimmer build and a smaller head, but these differences should not be assessed at close range.
The Rough-scaled Snake (Tropidechis carinatus) is a dangerously venomous species associated with moist forests and waterways. It has keeled scales that give the body a rough appearance, but this feature is difficult to assess without close examination.
Copperheads (Austrelaps species) are robust snakes that can resemble unbanded Tiger Snakes. They are more commonly associated with cooler parts of south-eastern Australia and are not typical snakes of suburban Sydney.
Colour and pattern alone are not reliable enough to confirm a snake’s identity. Treat any unidentified snake as potentially dangerous and leave identification to an experienced snake catcher or herpetologist.
Tiger Snakes have a fragmented distribution across south-eastern and south-western Australia. In New South Wales, they occur mainly in the cooler southern and coastal parts of the state.
Within the Greater Sydney region, Tiger Snakes have a more localised distribution than Eastern Brown Snakes or Red-bellied Black Snakes. They are most likely to occur in areas containing suitable wetland habitat, particularly around coastal swamps, creeks, lagoons, drainage systems and densely vegetated waterways in the Blue Mountains and occasionally within the Sydney Basin.
Suitable Tiger Snake habitat can include:
Tiger Snakes may shelter beneath fallen timber, inside abandoned animal burrows, beneath debris or within thick, matted vegetation.
Although strongly associated with water, they are not restricted to the water’s edge. A Tiger Snake may move through surrounding grassland, woodland or developed land while searching for food, shelter or a mate.
Tiger Snakes are mainly active during the day, although they may also forage on warm evenings. They are strong swimmers and regularly search for prey in and around water. They can remain submerged for several minutes and are also capable climbers.
A Tiger Snake will generally attempt to escape if it is given sufficient space. It does not hunt or deliberately chase people.
If cornered or repeatedly approached, a Tiger Snake may defend itself by:
This defensive display is a warning that the snake feels threatened. Move away slowly and give it room to escape.
Many snakebites occur when people attempt to catch, move or kill a snake. Do not use a broom, rake, shovel, hose or other household item to force it away.
Tiger Snakes have a varied diet that reflects their association with wetlands and waterways. Their prey includes:
Frogs are an important food source in many Tiger Snake populations. Properties adjoining frog-rich wetlands, dams or drainage systems may provide both suitable prey and shelter.
Tiger Snakes can hunt on land, in water and occasionally above the ground. They have been recorded climbing vegetation and human-made structures.
Reducing rodents and removing clutter can make a property less attractive to snakes, but it is neither practical nor desirable to eliminate the native frogs and other wildlife associated with healthy wetlands.
Tiger Snakes are dangerously venomous and were responsible for numerous deaths before the development of modern antivenom and improved snakebite treatment.
Tiger Snake venom can affect several systems within the body. Envenomation may cause:
Local pain and swelling may occur, but the appearance of the bite does not indicate whether venom has been injected. Fang marks may be small or difficult to see.
Not every bite results in envenomation, but this can only be determined through medical assessment and blood testing. Every suspected Tiger Snake bite must be treated as a medical emergency.
Prompt pressure-immobilisation first aid and hospital treatment greatly improve the outcome.
If you see a Tiger Snake or any unidentified snake at your home or workplace:
Do not try to catch, kill, corner or move the snake.
A photograph can help with identification, but only take one from a safe distance. Never move closer to obtain a clearer photograph.
If the snake disappears into vegetation or beneath a structure, note the exact location and direction of travel. This information can help the snake catcher assess the situation.
Sydney Snake Catcher provides a 24-hour snake identification and removal service across Greater Sydney.
Treat every suspected snakebite as an emergency, even if the person feels well or there are no obvious fang marks.
Do not wash the bite site, cut or suck the wound, apply a tourniquet, or attempt to catch or kill the snake.
Do not remove clothing to apply the bandage. Bandage over the clothing if necessary.
Tiger Snakes can pose a serious risk to dogs and cats. Dogs commonly initiate encounters by approaching, barking at or attempting to attack snakes. The snake then bites defensively.
Signs of snakebite in a pet may include:
Symptoms vary, and an animal may appear to recover briefly before deteriorating.
If snakebite is suspected, keep the animal as still as possible and transport it to a veterinarian immediately. Call the clinic while travelling if another person can do so safely.
Do not wait for symptoms to become severe.
Unlike Eastern Brown Snakes, Tiger Snakes do not lay eggs. Females give birth to live young, usually during late summer or autumn.
Litter sizes vary considerably and may range from approximately 10 to more than 60 young. The number depends on factors including the female’s size, condition and population.
The young are born enclosed in thin membranes, which they quickly break through. They are independent from birth and receive no parental care.
Male Tiger Snakes may engage in ritualised combat during the breeding season. The males partially intertwine their bodies and attempt to push each other down. This behaviour can be mistaken for mating.
Finding a juvenile Tiger Snake does not necessarily mean that the mother or an entire litter remains nearby. Young snakes disperse and may travel from their place of birth.
Tiger Snakes are most active during the warmer months, particularly from spring through autumn. They may also emerge to bask on mild winter days.
Their activity is influenced by:
During cooler periods, Tiger Snakes may shelter in animal burrows, beneath large rocks, inside fallen timber or underground.
In hot weather, they may remain close to water or seek shelter beneath vegetation and structures.
You cannot make an outdoor property completely snake-proof, particularly if it adjoins a wetland or waterway. However, you can reduce suitable shelter and food sources around buildings.
Practical measures include:
Vegetation around natural wetlands provides important habitat for frogs and other wildlife. Property maintenance should focus on the immediate area around homes and buildings rather than clearing native wetland habitat.
These measures can reduce the likelihood of an encounter but cannot prevent every snake from entering or passing through a property.
The Tiger Snake is a native, protected animal and should only be captured and relocated by an appropriately licensed snake catcher.
If you find a Tiger Snake—or any snake you cannot confidently identify—keep your distance, watch where it goes and call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938.
The Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is one of the most medically significant snakes in Australia. It occurs across much of Greater Sydney, particularly in open, semi-rural and modified landscapes where rodents are plentiful.
Despite its name, colour alone is not a reliable way to identify this species. Eastern Brown Snakes vary considerably in appearance, and several other Sydney snakes may also be brown. If you find an unidentified snake, keep your distance, watch where it goes and call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938.
In 2025, Sydney Snake Catcher attended 79 Eastern Brown Snake call-outs. This was substantially fewer than our call-outs for Red-bellied Black Snakes and Diamond Pythons, but every suspected Eastern Brown Snake requires a cautious response.
Scientific name: Pseudonaja textilis
Family: Elapidae
Average length: About 1.5 metres
Maximum reliably recorded length: Just over 2 metres
Venom rating: Dangerously venomous
Activity: Mainly active during the day
Reproduction: Egg-laying
Conservation status: Not listed as threatened in NSW
Eastern Brown Snakes are slender to moderately built, with a relatively small head that is only slightly distinct from the neck. Adults average about 1.5 metres in total length, although some individuals exceed this.
Their colour is extremely variable and may include:
Most adults are fairly uniform in colour, although some retain faint bands or scattered darker scales. The underside is usually cream, yellow or orange and may be marked with pinkish-orange, brown or grey blotches. The scales are smooth and slightly glossy, and the pupils are round.
These features can help with identification, but they should never be used as a reason to approach a snake. Colour, lighting, distance and poor-quality photographs can all be misleading.
Hatchlings and juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes can look very different from adults. Many have:
These markings generally fade as the snake matures, although some individuals retain body bands into adulthood.
Juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes are venomous and must be treated with the same caution as adults. Their small size does not make a suspected bite any less of a medical emergency.
Not every small, banded snake with a dark head is an Eastern Brown Snake, so identification should be left to an experienced snake catcher or herpetologist.
Several species found around Sydney may be mistaken for an Eastern Brown Snake.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake (Demansia psammophis) is smaller and usually has a distinctive dark, comma-shaped marking extending from the eye towards the corner of the mouth. A narrow dark bar is often visible across the snout.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake is venomous but is not considered dangerous to humans, although a bite can cause pain and swelling.
Common Tree Snakes (Dendrelaphis punctulatus) are slender, fast-moving and highly variable in colour. They often have a yellow underside and may be olive, brown, blue-grey or green. They are non-venomous.
Brown Tree Snakes (Boiga irregularis) have a proportionally larger head, large eyes and vertical pupils. They are mainly nocturnal and are only occasionally encountered in the Sydney region.
Colour alone is not enough to identify a snake. Lighting, distance, movement and individual variation can make several unrelated species appear brown.
Treat any unidentified snake as potentially venomous and do not attempt to handle it.
Eastern Brown Snakes occur across large parts of eastern Australia. They favour open landscapes, including grassland, woodland, scrubland, farmland and disturbed areas. They generally avoid rainforest and alpine habitats.
Within Greater Sydney, they are most often encountered in western and south-western Sydney, the Hawkesbury, the Macarthur region and semi-rural districts.
They may also occur wherever suitable habitat and prey remain, including industrial land, drainage corridors, vacant blocks and suburban properties adjoining undeveloped land.
Around homes and workplaces, Eastern Brown Snakes may shelter or forage near:
Eastern Brown Snakes are less frequently encountered in densely developed parts of inner Sydney, but an unusual location should never be used to rule the species out.
Eastern Brown Snakes are alert, fast-moving and mainly active during the day. Their usual response to a person is to escape if a clear route is available. They do not hunt or deliberately chase people.
If cornered, restrained, injured or repeatedly approached, an Eastern Brown Snake may defend itself. It can raise the front of its body, form an S-shaped posture and strike. This is defensive behaviour rather than evidence that the snake is naturally aggressive.
Many snakebites occur when people try to catch, move or kill a snake. The safest response is to stop, move away slowly and give the snake room to escape.
Eastern Brown Snakes primarily prey on small vertebrates. Their diet includes:
Introduced House Mice are an important food source, particularly in agricultural and semi-rural areas.
Reducing rodent activity can make a property less attractive to snakes, although no form of property maintenance can guarantee that a snake will never pass through.
Eastern Brown Snakes are dangerously venomous and are responsible for more snakebite deaths in Australia than any other snake species. This reflects the potency and effects of the venom, the snake’s wide distribution and its overlap with heavily populated and agricultural areas.
Brown snake venom can cause venom-induced consumption coagulopathy, a serious disruption of the blood-clotting system. Severe envenomation may also cause sudden collapse, seizures, cardiac arrest, bleeding or kidney injury.
A bite may initially cause little pain, and fang marks can be difficult to see.
Not every bite results in venom being injected, but there is no safe way to determine this outside a hospital. Every suspected snakebite must be treated as a medical emergency. Prompt first aid and hospital treatment greatly improve the outcome.
Eastern Brown Snakes are often described as the “second most venomous land snake in the world.” This claim is based on laboratory toxicity testing and does not provide a useful measure of what will happen following an actual bite.
The important point is that an Eastern Brown Snake bite can cause rapid, life-threatening envenomation and requires urgent medical care.
If you see an Eastern Brown Snake or any unidentified snake at your home or workplace:
Do not try to catch, kill, corner or move the snake. Do not use a broom, rake, hose or other household item to force it away.
A photograph can assist with identification, but only take one from a safe distance. Never approach a snake to obtain a clearer photograph.
Sydney Snake Catcher provides a 24-hour snake identification and removal service across Greater Sydney.
Treat every suspected snakebite as an emergency, even if the person feels well or there are no obvious fang marks.
Do not wash the bite site, cut or suck the wound, apply a tourniquet, or attempt to catch or kill the snake.
Do not remove clothing to apply the bandage. Bandage over the clothing if necessary.
An encounter between a pet and an Eastern Brown Snake can be fatal. Dogs commonly approach or attack snakes and may be bitten during the interaction. Cats are also at risk.
Signs of snakebite in a pet can include:
Symptoms vary, and an animal may appear to recover briefly before deteriorating.
If snakebite is suspected, keep the animal as still as possible and transport it to a veterinarian immediately. Call the veterinary clinic while travelling if another person can do so safely.
Do not wait for symptoms to develop.
Eastern Brown Snakes lay eggs. Mating generally occurs in spring, and males may engage in ritualised combat. During combat, the snakes raise and intertwine the front portions of their bodies while attempting to push each other down. This behaviour is sometimes mistaken for mating.
Females usually lay their eggs in a sheltered, humid location such as an animal burrow, soil cavity, hollow log or other protected site. Clutch size varies, and larger females may produce more than 20 eggs. Communal nesting has also been recorded.
Hatchlings emerge fully independent and are capable of delivering a venomous bite.
Seeing one juvenile does not necessarily mean there is a nest on the property. Young snakes disperse, and the animal may have arrived from elsewhere.
You cannot make an outdoor property completely snake-proof, but you can reduce suitable shelter and food sources:
These measures reduce potential shelter and prey but cannot prevent every snake from entering a property.
Eastern Brown Snakes are mainly active during the warmer months, with sightings increasing from spring through autumn. Their activity is influenced by temperature, available shelter, breeding behaviour and prey abundance.
Rodent population increases can support larger brown snake populations over time, but a short-term rise in call-outs does not necessarily mean snake numbers have suddenly increased. Weather conditions may simply make snakes more visible or bring them into contact with people more often.
The Eastern Brown Snake is a native, protected animal and should only be captured and relocated by an appropriately licensed snake catcher.
If you find an Eastern Brown Snake—or any snake you cannot confidently identify—keep your distance, watch where it goes and call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938.
We provide professional snake identification and removal across Greater Sydney, 24 hours a day.
If you live anywhere in the Greater Sydney region and you find a venomous snake on your property, the odds are overwhelming that it is a red bellied black snake. It is by far the most common venomous species we deal with, accounting for around 62 percent of all Sydney Snake Catcher callouts in 2025, roughly 550 jobs across the year. No other species comes close.
This is the species we know best. We understand their behaviour, their habits, and the situations that bring them into suburban yards. The good news is that despite their reputation, red bellied black snakes are one of the more reasonable venomous snakes to share a landscape with. The bad news is that they are still dangerously venomous, and a bite to a small dog or a child is a genuine emergency.
If you have found a red bellied black snake right now, skip to what to do if you find a red bellied black snake below, or call us on 1300 599 938.
The red bellied black snake, Pseudechis porphyriacus, is a large elapid native to eastern Australia and one of the country's most recognisable snakes. More Sydney residents encounter this species than any other venomous snake.
Venom rating: dangerously venomous Total length: up to 2 metres Conservation status: IUCN least concern Urban adaptation: very high Activity: active by day, most often seen in spring and early summer
Red bellied black snakes are one of the more distinctive snakes in Australia:
Large, glossy snake with a smooth, polished appearance Upper body a uniform deep glossy black Lower flanks brilliant red to pinkish, running up the sides Underbelly red, fading to cream or orange near the tail Head only slightly distinct from the neck Smooth, strongly glossed scales Moderately built, slimmer than a python and heavier than a whip snake Tail tapering to a fine point
The combination of glossy black upper body and vivid red flanks is unmistakable in good light. Even at night, the contrast between the dark back and the lighter belly usually shows.
Eastern small eyed snake: much smaller, glossy black above, pinkish belly often marked with dark blotches. Juveniles are the ones most often confused with a young red bellied black. Golden crowned snake: much smaller, pale crown markings, reddish belly, lacks the glossy black back. Diamond python: has the rosette pattern and no red belly at all. Eastern brown snake: brown or tan rather than black, cream or pale belly often marked with orange spots.
Juvenile red bellied black snakes, eastern small eyed snakes and golden crowned snakes can all look similar at a glance, since all three are small, dark, and reddish bellied. For practical purposes, treat any small dark snake in the Sydney region as potentially dangerous until it has been identified by a licensed reptile catcher.
Red bellied black snakes are habitat generalists with a strong preference for moist ground near water, and they have adapted exceptionally well to suburban Sydney.
Natural habitats include wetlands, swamps and marshes, creek edges and riverbanks, ponds, lagoons and dams, wet sclerophyll forest, riparian corridors, and damp pockets of coastal heath.
In urban settings they turn up in suburban gardens with ponds or water features, properties backing onto creeks and stormwater drains, bushland reserves and bushland edge homes, golf courses and parks with lakes, drainage corridors through suburbs, and any property with a healthy frog population.
The link to water and frogs is the defining feature of where this species turns up. A property with a pond, a creek frontage or plenty of frogs is far more likely to see a red bellied black snake than a dry block with none of those. Suburbs with strong bushland or wetland connections consistently produce our highest numbers of red bellied black callouts, including Lane Cove, Ku ring gai, the Sutherland Shire, the Hawkesbury, Hornsby Shire, the Hills District, the Northern Beaches, and much of the Central Coast.
The red bellied black snake's reputation as one of Australia's deadly snakes is largely undeserved when it comes to temperament. They are dangerously venomous, but their behaviour is genuinely shy and geared toward avoidance.
The first response to a person is almost always retreat. They prefer to escape into water, dense vegetation, or a known refuge, and they very rarely chase or pursue. Most bites happen when someone tries to handle or kill the snake, not from an incidental encounter.
When a red bellied black snake is cornered and cannot retreat, the defensive display is characteristic. It raises the front part of its body, flattens the neck slightly, holds the head and forebody almost vertical, hisses, and often delivers mock strikes with the mouth closed before striking for real if the threat continues.
Most encounters resolve in seconds. The snake sees the person, moves toward cover, and is gone. The dramatic standoffs almost always involve a snake that has been cornered, trodden on, or actively provoked.
After more than thirty years catching red bellied black snakes across Sydney, our consistent observation is that they are reasonable animals. They want food, shelter, and to be left alone. A red bellied black snake that sees you and turns to leave is not a threat. One basking on a path that lets you walk past at a respectful distance is not a threat. The danger arises when a person forces a confrontation, by trying to catch, kill, or photograph the snake at close range.
Yes, and they must be treated with respect, though the practical risk to most people is moderate compared with several other Australian venomous species.
Red bellied black snake venom is primarily myotoxic, meaning it damages muscle tissue, and anticoagulant, meaning it interferes with blood clotting. It is significantly less neurotoxic than the venom of brown snakes or tiger snakes, which is part of why this species has such a low mortality rate.
A bite to a human can cause significant local pain and swelling, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, sweating and headache, disturbed blood clotting, muscle damage that can persist for weeks, and in untreated cases, kidney damage or prolonged hospitalisation.
There are no recorded human deaths from red bellied black snake bites in Australia. That is genuinely remarkable for a species this widespread and frequently encountered, and it comes down to the combination of effective antivenom, the snake's reluctance to bite, and venom effects that are manageable with prompt treatment.
This is where red bellied black snakes become genuinely dangerous. The risk to pets, particularly dogs, is significantly higher than the risk to people.
Dogs are bitten far more often than humans because they actively engage with snakes rather than retreating. Bites often land on the muzzle or paws, and a dog's smaller body size means the venom load is proportionally much larger. Symptoms develop quickly, including vomiting, paralysis, dark urine, and weakness, and without prompt veterinary treatment and antivenom many dog bites are fatal. Treatment can run into thousands of dollars, and smaller dogs carry the highest risk.
Cats are somewhat more resistant to this venom than dogs and generally have better survival rates, but outdoor cats still need urgent veterinary treatment if bitten.
Many people in the reptile community have lost dogs, or know someone who has, to red bellied black snake bites. If you have dogs and live in habitat for this species, keep them on lead near water, keep them out of dense vegetation through summer, and know where your nearest 24 hour vet with antivenom stock is located.
Red bellied black snakes are opportunistic hunters with a strong preference for moist habitats. They eat frogs and tadpoles, small mammals such as mice and rats, lizards, other snakes including venomous species, and occasionally small fish or eels.
Their willingness to eat other snakes, including eastern brown snakes, is one of the more striking features of the species. A property with a resident red bellied black snake often has fewer other snake species around, simply because the black snake has eaten them. It is one of the reasons we sometimes tell homeowners that a known red bellied black on their property may be keeping a more dangerous species away, and removing it isn't automatically the safer option.
Mating happens in spring, and males wrestle each other in non venomous combat, intertwining and pushing one another to the ground. Females may share gestation shelter sites with other females. Unlike most elapids, red bellied black snakes give birth to live young rather than laying eggs, with litters of up to 20, typically in late summer. Young are fully independent from birth. Males reach sexual maturity around 2 to 3 years, females around 3 to 4 years, and wild lifespan runs to roughly 15 to 20 years. A favoured maternity site, a sandstone crevice, a stack of corrugated iron, a particular roof cavity, can be used by multiple females over many years.
Stop where you are and do not approach. Keep at least 3 to 5 metres back. Keep children, pets and anyone else away from the area.
Watch the snake from that safe distance and keep your eyes on it. If it moves into a garden bed, under a shed, or into any other cover, keep watching that exact spot rather than turning away, since it will very rarely move again once it has settled. Snakes almost always retreat to the closest available hiding place, and knowing where that is makes the difference between a quick job and a long search once we arrive.
Call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938. We attend 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the Greater Sydney region, and we will talk you through what to do while the catcher is on the way.
While you wait, bring pets and children inside and close any external doors that could let the snake into the building. Do not try to corner or contain it, let it move freely. If it has already moved into dense cover and settled, you don't need to do anything further beyond keeping half an eye on that spot until we arrive.
Do not attempt to kill the snake. Red bellied black snakes are a protected species and killing one is illegal, and most snakebite incidents in Australia happen when someone tries to kill the snake themselves. Do not try to capture it, even if you have handled reptiles before. Do not try to shoo it away with a broom or stick, which usually just produces a defensive snake and a more difficult job. Do not assume it is harmless because it hasn't reacted. Red bellied black snakes give a warning display only when they feel they have to.
A confirmed or suspected red bellied black snake bite is a medical emergency.
Call 000 and request an ambulance. Keep the person still and calm, since movement spreads venom faster through the body. Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage, a broad firm wrap starting at the bite site and running toward the heart, then back down, as firm as you would wrap a sprained ankle but not so tight it cuts off circulation, and splint the limb to stop it moving.
Do not wash the bite site, since venom traces on the skin help identify the snake and select the right antivenom. Do not cut or suck the wound, and do not apply a tourniquet. Do not try to capture or kill the snake, a photo from a safe distance is enough if you can get one.
Pet bites need the same urgency. Get the animal to a 24 hour veterinary clinic immediately, ideally one that stocks antivenom.
Keep grass short within a few metres of the house. Clear rock piles, timber stacks and general clutter away from the immediate building line. Keep pond margins visible rather than let dense vegetation grow right to the water's edge. Deal with rodent problems, since mice and rats bring snakes in. Seal gaps in foundations, brickwork and around pipework. Keep firewood well away from the house. Carry a torch when walking outside at night near water, wear closed shoes and long pants when gardening through snake season, and teach children to back away from any snake rather than approach it.
None of this will eliminate red bellied black snake encounters if you live in good habitat for them, but it will cut down how often an incidental sighting turns into something riskier.
Are red bellied black snakes aggressive? No. They are shy and avoidance oriented, and almost always retreat rather than confront a person. Most bites happen when someone tries to handle or kill the snake.
Has anyone died from a red bellied black snake bite in Australia? No recorded human deaths are on record, largely due to effective antivenom, the species' reluctance to bite, and venom effects that respond well to prompt treatment.
Are red bellied black snakes dangerous to dogs? Yes, significantly more so than to humans. Dogs are bitten more often, carry a proportionally larger venom load, and can die without prompt veterinary treatment and antivenom.
What should I do if I see a red bellied black snake in my yard? Stay back at least 3 to 5 metres, keep watching where it goes, and call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938. Do not approach, corner or try to kill it.
The red bellied black snake is Sydney's most commonly encountered venomous snake, accounting for around 62 percent of our callouts across the region. Glossy black above with vivid red flanks and belly, it thrives in suburbs with creeks, ponds, frogs and bushland connections. It is dangerously venomous but generally shy, bites to humans are rarely fatal with prompt treatment, and the danger to pets, especially dogs, is significantly higher.
If you find a red bellied black snake on your property, the response is straightforward. Keep your distance, keep watching where it settles, and call Sydney Snake Catcher. We attend 24/7, and we will identify and safely relocate the snake without harm to you, the snake, or anyone else.
Found a red bellied black snake or another reptile at your home? Sydney Snake Catcher operates 24/7 across the Greater Sydney region. We are fully licensed and insured, and we specialise in red bellied black snake removal across every Sydney suburb. Call 1300 599 938, day or night.
For more information follow the link www.urbanreptileremoval.com.au/faq-after-a-visit-from/red-bellied-black-snake
