Black Tiger Snake
(Notechis ater)
Image Copyright Cogger, 1992.
Description:The tiger snake gets its name from the
bands of dark color on its body that somewhat resemble the stripes of a
tiger (they are not always visible, as in this picture). It is usually
4 to 5 feet in length, with a black body, a light gray belly, and a wide
head (Ditmars 1937).
Distribution: The black tiger snake is confined
to southern Australia, including some populations on Kangaroo and other
offshore islands (Cogger 1992).
Habit: Diurnal and crepuscular, but may be nocturnal
in warm weather (Cogger 1992). Bears up to 50 live young (Ditmars
1937). Feeds mainly on frogs and small mammals (Cogger 1992).
When threatened they spread the enlarged anterior ribs of their neck and
lunge forward so vigorously that the entire body moves forward. Responsible
for a significant proportion of snake-bite deaths in Australia. Venom
is highly toxic, but the tiger snake's smaller poison glands prevent a
large amount of venom from being injected. The average yield is 26.2
mg (Ditmars 1937), of which only .002 mg per 100g is the lethal dose for
its prey. Tiger snake venom was one of the first venoms to be studied,
and its antivenin was one of the first antivenins to be developed.
There is a second species, Notechis scutatus, the Mainland Tiger
Snake, that is found in southeastern Australia and is also very dangerous
(Cogger 1992; Kellaway 1929).
