Spotted or Blue-bellied Black Snake
Pseudechis guttatus

Length:

to 1.5m

Identification:

back black, dark grey or, occasionally, light brown sometimes with light bands or blotches; belly grey, or blue-grey or brownish.

Scale Counts:

midbody scale rows 19; ventrals 175-205; anal paired; subcaudals single at front, remainder divided 45-65.

Habitat:

open black-soil plains and downs, in eucalypt forests and woodlands, grasslands, pasture and cropped lands.

Distribution:

coastal and sub-coastal southeastern Qld and northern NSW. Well-known near Ipswich and Beaudesert and common in Brisbane Valley, near Gatton.

Status:

common

Habits:

active by day.

Breeding:

egg-layer (7-13); average hatchling snout-vent length 22cm.

Main Prey:

frogs, lizards, snakes and small mammals.

Venom:

neurotoxic, haemotoxic, cytotoxic; bites not known to have caused human fatalities.

Notes:

potentially dangerous; apply first aid and seek urgent medical attention for all suspected bites.

Similar Species:

brown coloured specimens can be confused with Eastern Brown Snakes (Pseudonaja textilis), which are slimmer and have orange blotches on belly and different scalation. Collett's Snake (Peeudechis colletti) which has more ventral scales.