Smooth-scaled death adder

Acanthophis laevis are ambush predators, which helps them capture fast-moving prey like mammals and large lizards. Death adders have a broad diet, mainly consisting of lizards, frogs, and mammals. Females grow larger than males; tail length and head shape also differ between sexes in some species ^[1]

Smooth-scaled death adder
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Acanthophis
Species:	A. laevis
Binomial name
Acanthophis laevis Macleay, 1878
Synonyms
List Acanthophis cerastinus ceramensisGunther, 1863 Acanthophis antarcticus laevisWorrell, 1961 Acanthophis barnettiHoser, 1998 Acanthophis crotaluseiHoser, 1998 Acanthophis groenveldiHoser, 2002 Acanthophis macgregoriHoser, 2002 Acanthophis yuwoniHoser, 2002 Acanthophis ceramensisWallach et al., 2014

The smooth-scaled death adder (Acanthophis laevis) is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Distribution and habitat

A. laevis is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. ^[2]

Reproduction

A. laevis is ovoviviparous. ^[2]

References

1. Shine, Richard (2014). "Morphology, Reproduction and Diet in Australian and Papuan Death Adders (Acanthophis, Elapidae)". PLOS ONE. 9 (4): e94216. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...994216S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094216 . PMC   3981772 . PMID   24718608.
2. Acanthophis laevis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 16 February 2016.

Further reading

• Macleay W (1878). "The Ophidians of the Chevert Expedition". The Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales2: 33–41. (Acanthophis laevis, new species, pp. 40–41).
• Wüster W, Dumbrell AJ, Hay C, Pook CE, Williams DJ, Fry BG (2005). "Snakes across the Strait: trans-Torresian phylogeographic relationships in three genera of Australasian snakes (Serpentes: Elapidae: Acanthophis, Oxyuranus, and Pseudechis)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution34 (1): 1–14.