Smooth-scaled death adder | |
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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
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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.
A. laevis is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. [1]
A. laevis is ovoviviparous. [1]
Elapidae is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus Emydocephalus. Many members of this family exhibit a threat display of rearing upwards while spreading out a neck flap. Elapids are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, with terrestrial forms in Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas and marine forms in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Members of the family have a wide range of sizes, from the 18 cm (7.1 in) white-lipped snake to the 5.85 m king cobra. Most species have neurotoxic venom that is channeled by their hollow fangs, and some may contain other toxic components in various proportions. The family includes 55 genera with around 360 species and over 170 subspecies.
Hydrophiinae is a subfamily of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae. It contains most sea snakes and many genera of venomous land snakes found in Australasia, such as the taipans (Oxyuranus), tiger snakes (Notechis), brown snakes (Pseudonaja) and death adders (Acanthophis).
Acanthophis is a genus of elapid snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world. Despite their common name, they are not adders at all and belong to the Elapidae family. The name of the genus derives from the Ancient Greek akanthos/ἄκανθος ('spine') and ophis/ὄφις ('snake'), referring to the spine on the death adder's tail.
The eastern brown snake, often referred to as the common brown snake, is a species of highly venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to eastern and central Australia and southern New Guinea. It was first described by André Marie Constant Duméril, Gabriel Bibron, and Auguste Duméril in 1854. The adult eastern brown snake has a slender build and can grow to 2 m (7 ft) in length. The colour of its surface ranges from pale brown to black, while its underside is pale cream-yellow, often with orange or grey splotches. The eastern brown snake is found in most habitats except dense forests, often in farmland and on the outskirts of urban areas, as such places are populated by its main prey, the house mouse. The species is oviparous. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the snake as a least-concern species, though its status in New Guinea is unclear.
Pseudechis is a genus of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae. It contains the group of elapid species commonly referred to as the black snakes. Species of Pseudechis are found in every Australian state with the exception of Tasmania, and some species are found in Papua New Guinea. They inhabit a variety of habitat types, from arid areas to swampland. All species are dangerous and can inflict a potentially lethal bite. Most snakes in this genus reach about 2 m (6.6 ft) in total length, and vary in colour. Some species are brown, whereas others are black. The most recognisable and widespread species in the genus are the red-bellied black snake and the mulga snake. These snakes feed on lizards, frogs, birds, small mammals, and even other snakes. All species of Pseudechis lay eggs with the exception of the red-bellied black snake P. porphyriacus which is viviparous. The genus Pailsus is a synonym of Pseudechis, and more work is needed to understand species limits among the smaller species of the group.
The common death adder is a species of death adder native to Australia. It is one of the most venomous land snakes in Australia and globally. While it remains widespread, it is facing increased threat from the ongoing Australian cane toad invasion.
Collett's snake, also commonly known as Collett's black snake, Collett's cobra, or Down's tiger snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Australia. Collett's snake is capable of delivering a fatal bite and is considered the nineteenth most venomous snake in the world.
Aipysurus laevis is a species of venomous sea snake found in the Indo-Pacific. Its common names include golden sea snake, olive sea snake, and olive-brown sea snake.
Raymond Terrence Hoser is an Australian snake-catcher and author. Since 1976, he has written books and articles about official corruption in Australia. He has also written works on Australian frogs and reptiles. Hoser's work on herpetology is controversial, including his advocacy of the surgical alteration of captive snakes to remove their venom glands and his self-published herpetological taxonomy, which has been described as "taxonomic vandalism".
Telescopus, the Old World catsnakes, is a genus of 12 species of mildly venomous opisthoglyphous snakes in the family Colubridae.
Aipysurus is a genus of venomous snakes in the subfamily Hydrophiinae of the family Elapidae. Member species of the genus are found in warm seas from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Caudal luring is a form of aggressive mimicry characterized by the waving or wriggling of the predator's tail to attract prey. This movement attracts small animals who mistake the tail for a small worm or other small animal. When the animal approaches to prey on the worm-like tail, the predator will strike. This behavior has been recorded in snakes, sharks, and eels.
The Papuan black snake is a venomous snake of the family Elapidae native to New Guinea. Reaching around 2 m in length, it is a predominantly black snake coloured grey underneath.
The northern death adder is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae.
The rough-scaled death adder is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae.
The Barkly Tableland death adder is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The exact distribution of the species is unclear, but suitable habitat for the plains death adder consists of flat, treeless, cracking-soil riverine floodplains. Based on the presence of suitable habitat, the potential geographic range for this species extends from Western Queensland, across the north of the Northern Territory to north-east Western Australia. Disjunct populations of the plains death adder are known to occur in the Mitchell Grass Downs of western Queensland, the Barkly Tableland on the Northern Territory/Queensland border and east of Darwin in the Northern Territory. The snake is named after former Prime Minister of Australia Bob Hawke.
The Kimberley death adder is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae native to northwestern Australia.
The Pilbara death adder, also known commonly as Wells' death adder, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is one of the eight members of the genus Acanthophis, a genus which is found throughout northwestern and southwestern Australia and some parts of southern Papua New Guinea. The species Acanthophis wellsi is endemic to Western Australia.
The eastern dwarf mulga snake, also known commonly as the eastern pygmy mulga snake and the false king brown snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species, which is native to Australia, was genetically confirmed as a distinct species in 2017.
The pygmy mulga snake, also commonly known as the pygmy king brown snake, is a species of venomous snake in the black snake genus Pseudechis in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Australia.