The golden-crowned snake (''Cacophis squamulosus'') is a small 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 ...

Habitat

Like other ''Cacophis'' species, the golden-crowned snake is a forest specialist, particularly

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

. It prefers deeper forested areas, particularly rainforest on mountain slopes, however it can show up in suburbs near waterways and moist environments with ground cover and shelter.Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition''. (2013). Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .

Venom

''Cacophis squamulosus'' is only mildly venomous; however, it will bluff and mock bite if threatened, rearing into an S-shape to display the bright orange ventral pigmentation. Bites from larger individuals may present a health risk; however, it is more likely to attempt to intimidate those it feels threatened by.

Diet

The diet of the golden-crowned snake consists mostly of

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 ...

s and other 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 which they hunt at night; they may also take frogs and tadpoles.

Geographic range

''Cacophis squamulosus'' is localised to eastern Australia, from

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, ACT, to

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

, QLD.

Description

The average total length (including tail) of ''C. squamulosus'' is , but it may reach , making it the largest of the crowned snakes. The golden-crowned snake has a dorsal surface grayish-brown to dark brown in colour, and a ventral surface of orange to pink, with a mid-line of black spots. The "crown" is a pale yellow-brown stripe starting at the snout and sweeping back along both sides of the head, not connecting at the back of the head as in '' C. krefftii'' or ''C. harriettae'', instead trailing down the neck. The Dorsal scales are in 15 rows at mid-body.

Reproduction

''Cacophis squamulosus'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...