Tiger Snake

The tiger snake (genus Notechis) is an Australian cobra belonging to the Elapidae family. Humans are at risk from the snake's venom, which contains a blood-clotting agent as well as a nerve paralyzer. The tiger snake flattens its head and neck like a cobra before striking. Tiger snakes can be found in both damp and dry, rocky environments in southern Australia and its neighbouring islands. They are represented by a number of different populations, each of which is thought to correspond to two or more species. The eastern tiger snake (N. scutatus) is the most common, found from Victoria to New South Wales, as well as parts of South and Western Australia. The dry and rocky areas of South Australia are home to the black tiger snake (N. ater). Tiger snakes consume frogs, birds, and animals, and grow to be 1 to 1.5 metres long as adults (3 to 5 feet). They are the carriers of life.

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Tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus) are highly poisonous snakes found in Australia's southern areas, including the country's coastline islands, such as Tasmania. These snakes are typically banded like tigers and have a wide range of colours and shapes depending on where they live. All populations belong to the genus Notechis, and their various characteristics have been classified into subgroups of this genus; they are often referred to as separate species and/or subspecies. Tiger snakes are often found on the ground, although they can also swim and have been seen climbing small trees and shrubs. Notechis is a genus of large venomous snakes belonging to the Elapidae family that is only found in Australia's subtropical and temperate areas.

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Tiger snakes are a broad collection of different populations with considerable size and colour variation, which may be isolated or overlapping. Individuals' colouration varies according to the season. The overall length is usually around 1.2 metres. The patterning consists of darker bars that are light to extremely dark in colour and are either sharply contrasted or unclear. The snake's colouration ranges from olive to yellow to orange-brown to jet black, with a light yellow or orange underside.

Identification of Tiger Snake

In the past, two species of tiger snakes were commonly recognised the Eastern Tiger Snake Notechis scutatus, and the Black Tiger Snake (Notechis ater). However, physical distinctions between the two appear to be inconsistent, and recent molecular investigations have revealed that N. ater and N. scutatus are genetically identical, implying that there is now just one wide-ranging species with a wide range of size and colouration. 

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Despite the new classification, the old classification is still widely used, and a number of subspecies are recognised.

• Notechis ater ater – Krefft’s Tiger Snake (South Australia)

• Notechis ater humphreysi – Tasmanian Tiger Snake

• Notechis ater niger – Peninsular Tiger Snake Notechis ater serventyi – Chappell Island Tiger Snake (Furneaux Group, Bass Strait)

• Notechis scutatus occidentalis – Western Tiger Snake (southwest corner of Western Australia)

• Notechis scutatus scutatus – Eastern Tiger Snake (mainland Australia)

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The common name relates to the strong yellow and black cross-bands found in some tiger snake populations; however, this pattern is not found in all. Dark olive-brown to blackish-brown with off-white to yellowish cross-bands of variable densities is the most prevalent type. Individuals with no pattern may be seen in banded groups, and their colours range from yellowish-brown to black. Some populations, such as those found in Tasmania's central highlands and southwest, are nearly totally unbanded. Melanism (darkening of the skin) is more prevalent in communities exposed to extremely variable weather and cold extremes, such as those found at higher altitudes or on offshore islands. The snakes' black colouration is an adaptation that helps them to absorb heat more quickly during their short growing season. The head is moderately broad and deep, and it blends in with the strong, muscular body just somewhat. When performing a threat show, the neck and upper body can be flattened to a large extent, exposing the black skin between the rather large, semi-glossy scales.

17-21 rows of midbody scales, 140-190 rows of ventral scales, solitary anal and subcaudal scales Notechis has a large squarish frontal shield that is not or marginally longer than it is wide.

Habitat

Creeks, dams, drains, lagoons, wetlands, and swamps are all common places for the species to be found. They may also be found in extremely degraded environments, such as grazing fields, especially when water and limited cover are available. Tiger snakes seek refuge in or beneath fallen trees, densely matted vegetation, and abandoned animal burrows. Tiger snakes, unlike most other Australian elapids, can climb both plant and human structures and have been discovered as high as 10 metres above the ground. Tiger snakes may be found at altitudes ranging from sea level to above 1000 metres (Tasmania)

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Distribution

Tiger snakes are found in two locations of Australia: southeastern Australia (which includes the islands of the Bass Strait and Tasmania) and southwestern Australia. The following offshore islands have populations: (counter-clockwise around Australia) Carnac and Garden (Western Australia); Goat, West Franklin, and East Franklin in the Nuyts Archipelago; Hopkins; Hareby; Reevsby; Reevsby, Marum, Partney, Lusby, Roxby, and Spilsby in the Sir Joseph Banks Group; Kangaroo (South Australia); New Year, Christmas, and King in the western Bass Strait; Badger, Mt Chappell, Flinders, Babel, and Cat in (Tasmania). It's unclear whether the population on Carnac Island is entirely indigenous, as approximately 80 people were released on the island in 1929 without any proof that they were already present.

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Feeding and Diet

In the wild, tiger snakes eat a range of items, include fish, frogs and tadpoles, reptiles, birds and mammals, as well as carrion. The average prey size grows in proportion to the snake's size, however, this is done not by larger snakes abandoning little prey, but by capturing more large prey. Tiger snakes are mostly diurnal, meaning they seek food during the day; however, they will forage in the evenings if the weather is warm. They can hunt underwater with ease and stay under for at least 9 minutes. One museum specimen had a bat in its stomach, demonstrating the tiger snake's capacity to climb. Invertebrates have also been discovered in the stomachs of tiger snakes, although these might have been consumed as carrion other species, such as grasshoppers and moths, could have been consumed as prey. Cannibalism has also been reported among wild tiger snakes. The powerful venom grabs and subdues prey items quickly, with constriction being used sometimes as well. In certain island populations, the size of available prey is considered to have a significant effect in determining the adult size of tiger snakes. 

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For example, on Chappell Island, snakes are generally large and take advantage of the seasonal abundance of plump muttonbird chicks, but on Roxby Island, where there are no breeding seabirds, snakes are primarily tiny skinks.

Breeding Behaviours

Females in southern Australia are mature when their snout-vent length is at least 763 mm. Males can reach sexual maturity at a mass of 500g on Tasmania's main island, while females are fully mature at a snout-vent length of 850mm and a mass of at least 325g. Males engage in fights during the start of the mating season, with each of the two combatants trying to crush down the head of the other, resulting in the snakes being partially entangled. Late summer (March) has been reported as a time for mating, however, it is unclear if this occurred in the wild or in captivity. 

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Southern species benefit from late-season mating because it gives them a reproductive head start before spring. Mating has been observed on Tasmania's main island lasting up to seven hours. Gravid females may be sedentary; one gravid female in Tasmania was said to have stayed at her "homesite" for 50 days. Between late summer and mid-autumn in southwestern Australia, females give birth to live young (ovoviviparous) (17 March-18 May). The litter size ranges from ten to sixty-four. The young are born in a membranous sac and are completely self-sufficient once they break free.

Seasonality

Although snakes are more active during the summer, tiger snakes may be spotted lounging in the sun on sunny winter days. They aestivate in animal burrows, beneath huge rocks, and understanding dead trees during chilly seasons, and may penetrate as deep as 1.2 metres underground. In a winter refuge, as many as 26 newborns were discovered together, perhaps all from the same late-season litter.

Venom

Between 2005 and 2015, tiger snakes were responsible for 17% of all snakebite victims in Australia, with four deaths reported from 119 confirmed envenomations. Neurotoxins, coagulants, haemolysins, and myotoxins are all found in tiger snake venom. A localized pain in the foot and neck region, tingling, numbness, and sweating are common bite symptoms, which are followed by breathing difficulty and paralysis. According to one research, the fatality rate from untreated bites is between 40 to 60%. All poisonous snakes in Australia receive the same treatment. The procedure of pressure immobility is used to stop the venom from flowing into the lymphatic system. Bandages are placed around the bite, then down and back along the limb to the armpit or groyne.

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A splint is used to immobilise the afflicted limb. If traces of venom are left around the wound, the venom can be identified. If bitten in Tasmania, it is not essential to identify the snake because all Tasmanian snake bites are cured with the same antivenom. The availability of antivenom has greatly reduced the number of people who have died as a result of tiger snake bites. Only the brown snake exceeds tiger snakes when it comes to the number of deaths caused by snakebite in Australia.

Predators

The elapid snake Cryptophis nigrescens and some birds of prey such as butcherbirds, goshawks, harriers, ibises, kites, and kookaburras are recognised predators of tiger snakes. According to a survey conducted on Carnac Island, a significant percentage of tiger snakes became blind in one (6.7 per cent) or both (7.0 per cent) eyes as a result of nesting gull assaults. While this isn't exactly predation, it does make snakes easier to trap for human hunters, which improves their chances of being eaten by non-human predators. Humans have also targeted tiger snakes in the past, and they are still frequently killed when they are discovered. Many people are also hit by cars.

Ticks, cestodes (tapeworms), nematodes (roundworms), pentastomids (tongue worms), and trematodes are known to parasitize tiger snakes (flukes). Ticks, cestodes (tapeworms), nematodes (roundworms), pentastomids (tongue worms), and trematodes are known to parasitize tiger snakes (flukes). Ticks, cestodes (tapeworms), nematodes (roundworms), pentastomids (tongue worms), and trematodes are known to parasitize tiger snakes (flukes).

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Interesting Tiger Snake Facts

• The colour of a tiger snake is determined by its environment. The body's dorsal side might be brown, black, grey, or yellow in colour, with alternate dark and light stripes. The hue of the belly is generally yellow or orange. Tiger snakes can be found with or without stripes. Tiger snakes are uniformly coloured and might be yellowish-brown or totally black.

• The term "tiger snakes" comes from the yellow stripes that cover the majority of dark-coloured tiger snakes.

• The tiger snake can also swim and dive. It can stay submerged for up to 9 minutes without needing to surface to breathe.

• During the summer months, the tiger snake is most active. It usually sleeps in abandoned burrows on the earth or inside logs during the cold winter days.

• During the winter, the tiger snake basks in the sun to raise its body temperature and gain energy.

• The venom of the tiger snake is highly neurotoxic, and it is utilised to kill prey and defend against predators. Only in self-defence would this snake attack humans. A bite can be deadly, therefore victims should seek medical help right once.

Tiger snakes can be found in both damp and dry, rocky environments in southern Australia. The eastern tiger snake (N. scutatus) is the most common, found from Victoria to New South Wales, as well as parts of South and Western Australia. Notechis scutatus occidentalis is a new name for the tiger snake. The snakes' black colouration is an adaptation that helps them to absorb heat more quickly during their short growing season. Despite the new classification, the old classification is still widely used. They can climb trees, dams, drains, lagoons, wetlands, and swamps. Tiger snakes may be found at altitudes ranging from sea level to above 1000 metres (Tasmania) Tiger snakes can reach sexual maturity at a mass of 500g on Tasmania's main island.