snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
(''Furina diadema'') is a small venomous reptile from the family
Elapidae
Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids ; grc, ἔλλοψ ''éllops'' "sea-fish") 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 Emydoceph ...
. The
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s are found in four Australian states and are listed as 'threatened' in Victoria'.
They are nocturnal and feed on small
skinks
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 ...
. The young
eastern brown snake
The eastern brown snake (''Pseudonaja textilis''), 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 ...
is similar in appearance.
Description
The red-naped snake has small black eyes, a shiny black head, and neck. Its head appears to be partially flattened. On the upper lip is a streak of white. On the back of the neck there is a well defined patch of orange or red in the shape of a diamond, crescent or oval. The belly can be either a cream colour or white. The remainder of the body is a red-brown colour. The edges of these dorsal scales are either black or dark brown and this makes the scales look like a net.
''Furina diadema'' have a slim body and are considered a small snake. They have been reported to reach a maximum length of 45 cm. Other sources have reported them as reaching a maximum total length of 40 cm. http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6255.htm. The males are the smaller sex.
Theses snakes have between 160 and 210
ventral scales
In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that conta ...
, a divided
anal scale
Anal may refer to:
Related to the anus
*Related to the anus of animals:
** Anal fin, in fish anatomy
** Anal vein, in insect anatomy
** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy
*Related to the human anus:
** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involving s ...
, between 35 and 70
subcaudal scales
In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...
and generally 15 rows of mid-body scales.
Venom
Although red-naped snakes are
venomous
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
, they are considered harmless to humans. If threatened they will strike out several times with their forebody held in the air, most often with a closed mouth. They can bite and will do so if they are provoked enough.
Habitat
The red-naped snake is a
terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
species that is found in many parts of eastern Australia: in dry woodlands and forests, coastal forests and heaths, http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6501.htm tussock grasslands and shrublands. It generally stays away from wet areas, like rainforests. They shelter under rocks and fallen timber, in ant or termite nests, under wood piles, leaves, old sheets of iron, in crevices and abandoned burrows.
Geographic range
The red-naped snake is in four Australian states of Australia; Victoria, NSW, Queensland, South Australia and also the Northern Territory. It is found in arid to humid parts, from Port Augusta in South Australia to Cairns in northern Queensland. Some areas in which they have been sighted include the Coongie Lakes
Ramsar Site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
in the Lower Murray darling basin, NSW; around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory; the Museum of Victoria notes this species is in the far north-west of the state, in riverine areas; 18 National Parks in Queensland.
Diet
''Furina diadema'' prey upon little skinks.
Reproduction
The red-naped snake 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 ...
, Records for clutch sizes vary: 2–5, 1–10, 3–6, 1–5, 8 and an average of 3. In subtropical regions red-naped snakes have more than one clutch in a year. They hatch out of their eggs in January, unless in a cooler region, where they hatch in February. The recorded lengths for snakes when they are first born vary, and . They become adults within a year.
Behaviour
The red-naped snake are a
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 ...
species. Sometimes they share their space with each other. Both venom and constriction is used to kill prey. They eat more in the warmer times of the year and hunt for food in restricted places such as burrows and fissures.
Similar species
The red-naped snake is similar in appearance to the juvenile eastern brown snake. The eastern brown snake has a lighter band between its dark head and the neck. These two snakes can be differentiated by their behaviour, as the eastern brown snake is out during the day, while the red-naped snake is nocturnal and not often seen unless its retreat has been disturbed.
Conservation status
''Furina diadema'' are listed as 'Threatened' in Victoria under the
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988
The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...
.
Origin
Evidence suggests that there was a migration of Asian elapid snakes into Australia many years ago and they
evolved
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation t ...
into 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 ...
over time, including the Furina species ''Furina diadema''.