Snake ID

[thecat]

Hi all. a few years ago now I came across a snake while bushwalking in the Blue Mts near Mt banks and I've never been able to get an ID on it.


I didn't get a photo so an ID is a long shot but it was about a foot long, maybe a little longer though it looked as though it had lost it's tail somehow as it was very stumpy.

Colourwise it was quite distinct with splotchy mauve bands. Closest I've seen to the bands would be a Stevenson Banded snake but distribution doesn't match.

It seemed to be basking at the side of an old fire trail mid morning and took off across the trail as we approached

Can any one give a suggested candidate

Cheers
Craig

 

[jordanmulder]

a juvie eastern brown probably they are banded when young and look nothing like their parents
though nothing will be acurate because there are no photos

 

[eipper]

you can get tiger snakes with similar banding to which you describe

Cheers,
Scott

 

[thecat]

cheers had dismissed juvi Brown as it was kinda stocky rather than slender. Hadn't considered tiger

 

[byron_moses]

a juvie eastern brown probably they are banded when young and look nothing like their parents
though nothing will be acurate because there are no photos

true they are banded when young but i have seen pics of 2 adult males combating in my area which were brown with perfect bands the whole way down its body. it wasnt a death adder was it?

 

[thecat]

No I don't think so. I wasn't really into snakes at the time (come to think of it it probably sparked my interest) but it didn't have the skinny death adder tail. just looked like the tail had been cut/bitten off.

 

[redbellybite]

didnt happen to look like this now?

 

[Echiopsis]

Have a look at the lozenge marked form of Pygopus lepidopodus. I dont know if theyre found in the area but itd explain the missing tail. Very few of the lepidopodus i find here have complete original tails, more often than not theyre recently removed or slightly regenerated.

 

[thecat]

didnt happen to look like this now?

It's not jumping out at me. Damn I wish I had a camera that day....

Echiopsis, the scaly foot suggetsion is worth exploring as I hadn't considered that. Would you have a link to an image of the lozenge form as I haven't been able to find one

 

[Echiopsis]

Museum Victoria: Common Scaly Foot

Theres a few more pics that come up on google images.

 

[thecat]

cheers. Um from memory what i saw's head was more distinct from it's neck, originally I thought it might have been a Broad headed snake.

 

[-Peter]

you can get tiger snakes with similar banding to which you describe

Cheers,
Scott

you can get tiger snakes in the Blue Mountains with...
I think Scott is 100% on the money.

 

[redbellybite]

its hard cause he isnt sure wether it was even a snake now ....

 

[thecat]

pfffft! barny hasn't got stripes or blotches.

Thanks to everyone who gave a serious response. As stated in the OP I knew with out a photo a firm ID was a long shot. I'll run with the most likely candidate being a tiger although being on a dry ridge top I'll hold onto the slim possibility it was a broad headed