Grey snake
Common name: grey snake
Scientific name: Hemiaspis damelii
Conservation status: The grey snake is listed as Endangered in Queensland (Nature Conservation Act 1992) and it is ranked as a medium priority under the Department of Environment and Resource Management Back on Track species prioritisation framework.
Description
Grey snakes are uniform olive grey to grey above and their belly surfaces are white to cream, usually flecked with dark grey. The top of the head and the first few scale rows are black in juveniles. This dark patch reduces to a narrow bar in adults, or sometimes may disappear completely. They have large eyes and generally grow to a total length of about 0.7 m.
Habitat and distribution
The grey snake favours woodlands, usually on heavier, cracking clay soils, particularly in association with water bodies.or in areas with small gullies and ditches. They shelter under rocks, logs and other debris as well as in soil cracks.
Its distribution extends from central inland New South Wales, north to several isolated populatioins near Rockhampton in Queensland. Within Queensland, records are known from near Goondiwindi and the adjacent Darling-Riverine Plain, from the Darling Downs and from the Lockyer Valley. The core area for the grey snake in the Brigalow Belt is south of the Great Dividing Range between Dalby and Glenmorgan. The species occurs in a number of protected areas in Queensland, these include: Lake Broadwater Conservation Park, Southwood National Park, Currawinya National Park, and Erringibba National Park.
Life history and behaviour
Grey snakes are active during the night when they feed on frogs and lizards. They bear 4-16 live young, usually between January and March. Young are born fully formed and individuals take about 12 months to mature.
Threatening processes
Threats to the grey snake include:
- Vegetation clearing causing loss of habitat. The Brigalow Belt, where this species is found has suffered extensive vegetation clearing over the past 40 years which has caused the loss of habitat for a number of species in the region.
- Impacts from introduced animals such as predation by cats and foxes. Frog eating snakes such as the grey snake are also at risk of poisoning through the ingestion of cane toads. Feral pigs compete with the grey snake for food (frogs) and destroy wetland habitat.
- Hydrological changes to waterways has the potential to impact on those species that rely on these types of habitats for survival, including species such as the grey snake which is found on floodplains and near watercourses in low lying areas.
Recovery actions
- Negotiate management agreements for the protection of priority areas and key habitat areas in line with management guidelines.
- Work with local governments to protect snake habitat on the stock route network and on shire roadsides and reserves.
- Work with landholders to conduct monitoring programs on land with species presence, potential key habitat and/or high threatening processes identified.
- Where practicable coordinate cane toad and feral pig control measures.
- Encourage local schools participating in reptile educational programs to adopt a local reptile species as their school icon.
Further information
Couper, P and Amey, A 2007. Snakes of south east Queensland. Pocket guide. Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland.
Richardson, R 2007. Draft Queensland Brigalow Belt Reptile Recovery Plan 2007-2011. Report to the Department of the Environment and Heritage, Canberra. WWF, Australia.
Ryan, M (Ed). 2007. Wildlife of Greater Brisbane. Revised edition. Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland.
Shine, R 1991. Australian snakes a natural history. Reed Books, Sydney, New South Wales.
Wilson, S 2005. A field guide to reptiles of Queensland. Reed New Holland Press, Sydney, New South Wales.
Wilson, S and Swan, G 2003. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, Chatswood, New South Wales.
Wilson, S and Swan, G 2008. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia. Revised edition. Reed New Holland Publishers, Chatswood, New South Wales.
Last updated 7 July 2011