Pseudechis porphyriacus
A Red Bellied Black Snake
A Red Bellied Black Snake
A Red Bellied Black Snake in a water pump
A Red Bellied Black Snake for Size Comparison
The red-bellied black snake is one of the more commonly seen snakes. Normally they are around 1.25m in length so they also aren’t a very large snake. The largest recorded was 2.5m so was actually a large fellow. The top of the snake is a Gloss shiny black whilst it’s under belly is….Red, or sometimes a pink colour. It is generally a very placid snake and likes to retreat if it doesn’t feel safe. They have been noted to have a very strong smell so some people with good noses have actually used their smell to find them.
This is a venomous snake like all the others in our area, its venom is actually less deadly than the others, and there are no recorded deaths from being bitten by a red-bellied black snake. But that doesn’t mean you should play with it. Like all snakes you see in Australia, Assume it is Venomous. We do get Pythons in Australia but they are more common around Eastern Victoria, like the Great Dividing Range. They are not native to our area so very unlikely to come across one (but not impossible as people do have pet Pythons that escape).
The Red-Bellied Black Snake is commonly found in woodlands but can also be seen swimming in your dams and rivers. They also like Swamplands. Their main source of food is Fish, small mammals and other reptiles like lizards and frogs. Due to constant loss of habitat causing less frogs, it is thought that the population of the Red-Bellied Black Snake is dropping off. It can be found from Queensland all the way down to Victoria and Even South Australia. They prefer shallow water with plants and logs but can be seen on Adventures in people’s backyards and sheds.
Red-bellied black snakes are great swimmers, they can even float on water so convincingly that they look like a stick. Because Red-Bellied Black Snakes are darker than most other snakes as a general rule they can absorb heat from the sun more quickly. This can work for and against them. This means that on a cooler but sunny late winter’s morning they can optimise the suns energy, but on a 45°C day in the middle of the summer they will hide and come out at night.
The Red-Bellied Black Snake gives birth to live young in individual membranous sacs, Normally between February and March. This is slightly different to the other snakes in our area which also give birth to live young, they are not in an egg but emerge from their sacs very shortly after birth
Red-Bellied Black Snakes Normally eat frogs, but also other reptiles and small mammals. They also (like the Copperhead) eat other snakes (like Tiger Snakes), including other Red-Bellied Black Snakes. Being amazing swimmers they will also eat fish, they can swallow their dinner under water as well as on land. The Red-Bellied Black Snake is also a commonly kept pet (even though it is Venomous), some owners give them treats such is dog food, chicken nuggets and fish fillets.
Unfortunately for the red-bellied black snake, their main Habitat is normally where humans like to build, this has affected the population of frogs which is their preferred snack, reports say that their numbers are on the decline, they are also up against the same concerns the other snakes have. They are easy pickings for Kookaburras, other birds of prey, even feral and domestic cats and larger dogs.