Little guest (photos)

[emmjay23]

My sister-in-law freaked out when she found this little visitor on her daughter's thongs one morning.. she took some snap shots before leaving home, by the time she got home it had moved on.
Thought I'd share. Not sure what it is (I'm still a bit green when it come to identifying snakes) but looks very beautiful. Would have loved to see it for myself.
We live just out of Darwin..

 

[Australis]

Your guest looks to be a whip snake (Demansia sp), although
im not too familiar with NT species, im sure someone will know
which one it is... nice critter.

 

[waruikazi]

Yep yellow face whip, a bit less common than the blacks. Not considered dangerous but you will get a reaction if it bights you, i can PM you the number for removals if it is still needed.

 

[emmjay23]

It is long gone now, but thanks for the info. All the pictures I found of the yellow face whip snake appeared to be different so I'd ruled that out, shows I'm not a very good investigator!
We have numbers for snake removals here but where I can I would rather leave them be. It's only when I lived in Alice Springs and a nice big king or western brown would venture in my room (donga) that I would draw the line..
Unfortunately my Mum didn't feel the same.. had a beautiful gtp removed from the tree near our house

Thanks again
MJ

 

[jamgo]

snake id

its not a yellow face whip maybe demansia shinei or demansia olivacea

 

[Crazy_Snake08]

wow...looks cool.

 

[emmjay23]

The demansia olivaceais looks very close but lacks the colouring on the throat. I can't find any pictures if the shinei

 

[the.badger]

WHAT?? A GTP at your house????

 

[emmjay23]

thats what the snake catcher said thought just googling images now and it wasn't fat like those. just like a common snake but green lol
my lack of knowledge here shames me must... learn... more....

 

[the.badger]

Oh haha, a green tree snake. Hahahah cool.

 

[waruikazi]

its not a yellow face whip maybe demansia shinei or demansia olivacea

It's def not an olivacea, hatchling and juveniles are black up here and even the lesser blacks as hatchlings are darker than that one up here. I'm still going yellow, atleast that is what i called all of the ones i caught that looked like that one but i do believe the demansia group has recently been re-categorised so they may have changed the names on me.

 

[jamgo]

i know they change the names thats why i said maybe but yellow face whips aren't even found in darwin

 

[saratoga]

"We live just out of Darwin.."

It has the wrong facial markings for a Yellow faced Whip Snake Demansia psammophis and unless you live "just 2000km out of Darwin" it is highly unlikely to be one!

I think it's a Marbled headed Whip... Demansia olivacea

 

[waruikazi]

i know they change the names thats why i said maybe but yellow face whips aren't even found in darwin

Are you sure they aren't found in Darwin? I haven't got my Cogger with me but i know they are definately found in parts of the NT, i don't mean to call you out i know you know your stuff but i know darwin reptiles better than most. But in any case one of the common names we use for that whip is yellow face, what the scientific name is i couldn't say. But i totally accept that it may not be 'true' yellow face whip snake.

 

[jamgo]

i just had a quick look at demansia paper shinei is tennant creek area

 

[saratoga]

Have just checked my Coggers...it shows YFWS from about Ti Tree south on the Track.. abit higher up in the Tanami. Wilson and Swan show YFWS just making it into the Territory around Uluru.

I personally haven't heard of YFWS from the Territory. From my experience the "comma" shaped marking on YFWS is quite different to the markings on Marbled Whips.

I think there are some 'new" Whip snakes around which I'm not aware of so it could be something else but definately not D. psammophis

 

[waruikazi]

Ok i'l accepting defeat, that one is identical to the olivacea in Gow's Snakes of the Darwin Area i should have looked it up in the first place lol.

 

[emmjay23]

but the olivacea looks plain with a slightly darker neck and this one has a brighter coloured neck area? does appear to live in this region though.

 

[waruikazi]

but the olivacea looks plain with a slightly darker neck and this one has a brighter coloured neck area? does appear to live in this region though.

They just drab out whit age, most of the smaller ones have more vibrant colours than the older animals.

 

[cockney red]

Not sure they go up that far, but does look like a YFWS to me.