juvenile brown snake question/ID no photo

[JTG81]

probably a stupid question but anyway. yesterday i was mowing the lawn and as i was doing so i looked down and saw a very tiny snake about 25 to 30cm in length it was completely brown in colour on its back and completely white on it's belly. it also had a little stripe near it's eye's. I let it be and it took off to where ever. I was curious too what species it might be i of course thought baby brown snake due to the colour but everything i have read on google indicates they are striped when they are young is this true? I then thought mash snake but they seem to have dark bellies? i also thought brown tree snake but i don't know if there even around this area? i live in the hawkesbury aroung kurrajong. any thoughts?

 

[jase75]

Not all baby browns are striped, but the all have black on their heads. Sounds more like a Yellow Face Whip Snake.

 

[Bluetongue1]

Not a stupid question at all.

Young eastern browns can be plain or banded (not striped) and you can get both from the same clutch. All young browns have a black blotch on the head and band across the neck. The belly is flecked with dashes of orange to brown.

It might have been a White-lipped Snake (Drysdalia coronoides) in which case the head would have been pretty much the same width as the body. If it was, it would have tended to stay low and escape when it had the opportunity.

Brown Tree Snakes are found in the area but they are easily recognised as the they have particularly large bulging eyes and the head is much wider than the neck. There is no 'eye stripe'. They are also quick to raise the front end off the ground into a series of S-shaped loops if cornered and will not hesitate to strike out if you get near.

From the description given, I would doubt it was a Y-f Whip Snake, for while they can get a bit of a russet colour along the back, especially the tail, they are predominantly grey in colour in the Sydney region.

Blue

 

[kawasakirider]

Could it have been a whip snake?

 

[JTG81]

thanks for the replies i googled them and i think it was a yellow faced whip snake after checking out some images, next time i will take a photo. i just hope it doesn't try to move in next door, i don't think the neighbours are all that keen on snakes.

 

[Bluetongue1]

I think taking a photo would be a very good idea given you recalled the reptile as being "completely brown in colour on its back" and you were wondering if it was a 'brown snake'?

I would have thought I had a more realistic appreciation of the accuracy of verbal descriptions by now. Apparently not...

Blue