Dwyer's snake (''Suta dwyeri'') also known commonly as the whip snake
"Balling as a defence mechanism for snakes", ''Journal of the Herpetological Society of Queensland'', Spring 2005 and the variable black-naped snake,
"''Suta dwyeri'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where it is found from New South Wales to South Queensland.
Snake Tracks Species List While closely related to Australian sea snakes, ''S. dwyeri'' is a terrestrial

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

.
Elapid Land Snakes (Family Elapidae, Subfamily Elapinae): South-east Queensland

Etymology

The Specific name (zoology), specific name, ''dwyeri'', is in honor of Australian herpetologist

John Dwyer John Dwyer may refer to: * John Dwyer (Australian judge) (1879–1966), Australian judge * John Dwyer (baseball) (active 1882), American baseball player * John Dwyer (field hockey) (born 1928), Australian Olympic hockey player * John Dwyer (medici ...

Taxonomy

There has been a great amount of instability of the nomenclature of many Australian snake taxa, particularly concerning the generic classification of the smaller Elapidae, some of which have been placed in several different

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

in the span of just a few decades. Accordingly, Dwyer's snake, which was originally named ''Denisonia dwyeri'' by

Worrell Worrell is a mainly English surname of: People * Bernie Worrell (1944–2016), American keyboardist and composer * Cameron Worrell (born 1979), American football player * David Worrell (born 1978), Irish football player * Eric Worrell (1924–1987 ...

in 1956, has been variously called ''Unechis dwyeri'' by Cogger in 1983, ''Suta dwyeri'' by Valentic in 1998, ''Suta spectabilis dwyeri'' by Cogger in 2000, and ''Parasuta dwyeri'' by Greer in 2006.

Description

Adult ''S. dwyeri'' males average 31 cm (12 inches) in length from the tip of the snout to the

uro Uro or URO may refer to: * Aurochs, the predecessor of modern cattle * Uro Bonsai technique; see deadwood bonsai techniques * Uro, Delta, Nigeria * ''Uro'' (film), directed by Stefan Faldbakken * Uro (trucks), a Spanish truck manufacturer * ''Ur ...

- genital vent. Females are slightly smaller at around 29 cm (11 inches) in snout-to-vent length (SVL).
Size and Breeding Information for Australian Snakes ''S. dwyeri'' has a cylindrical brown body with a slender to medium build. The head is short and somewhat widened so as to be distinct from the neck. The tail is short as well, and the dorsal scales are smooth. The eye is medium-sized, with a vertically elliptical pupil.
Clinical Toxinology Resources

Reproduction

Animal husbandry, Breeders of exotic reptiles advise letting pairs of ''S. dwyeri'' mate when they reach a length of about for males and for females. This species is viviparous rather than egg laying and successfully births about three offspring per brood. Newborn ''S. dwyeri'' young are about long.

Defense mechanisms

Like other snakes in the family Elapidae, ''S. dwyeri'' is venomous and has hollow

fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fang ...

s fixed at the front of the upper jaw. These fangs are connected via ducts to venom

gland In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

s near the eyes. Like the majority of Australian elapids, Dwyer's snake is inoffensive and mostly harmless. Herpetologists at the Queensland Museum describe Dwyer's snake as "weakly venomous", and do not include it among their list of eight snake species in the Brisbane area considered capable of inflicting potentially fatal bites. A 25-year-old man in Western Sydney mildly describes a snakebite from this species by saying that he was:

... bitten on the finger by a ''Suta dwyeri'' once. The bite did not hurt at all. But little did I know he had left his fang in my finger. A couple of days later it got a tiny bit infected and hurt for a couple of days ... nothing major though.
Aussie Pythons & Snakes (aussiepythons.com)

When threatened ''P. dwyeri'' prefers to coil into a tight ball as a defense mechanism for protection from larger predators. This enables the snake to protect its head and more vulnerable areas of its body.

Behaviour and habitat

''S. dwyeri'' is a secretive,

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

snake that seeks shelter under rocks, debris, and ground litter, and may make its home in

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

s made and abandoned by other creatures. Open woodland, grassland, and rocky areas are its preferred natural habitats.

Diet

''S. dwyeri'' feeds mainly on small

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

s such as

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

s and

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

Images

Dwyer's snakeDwyer's snake