Slaty-grey Snake (species: Stegonotus cucullatus) in Lizard Island Field Guide (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Lizard Island Field Guide > Terrestrial Life > Land snakes and Lizards > Land Snakes > Stegonotus cucullatus (gallery)
Stegonotus cucullatus
Slaty-grey Snake


©Chris Harrison: Stegonotus cucullatus near the Daintree River.

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Colubridae
Genus Stegonotus
Species Stegonotus cucullatus

Show in taxonomy
Lizard Island area: all known taxa
Lizard Island Field Guide

Colours

                   

Distinguishing features

A dark brown/grey above grading to paler below, without a pale band behind the head. A small head and small eyes.

Active at dawn and dusk and at night. These snakes are harmless but can display aggressive behaviour if disturbed (Wilson and Swan, 2010).

Size

  • Up to 130 cm (overall length, Wilson and Swan, 2010)

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Distribution and habitat preferences

Generally found in moist forests.

Local abundance

  • Lizard Island: Rare. No observations of this species have been reported to LIRS since the 1990s (as of Jan 2023). There is a single specimen in the Australian Museum collection from Lizard Island.

Behaviour

Slaty grey snakes feed on fishes, frogs, lizards, reptile eggs and small mammals.

Web resources

References

References that assist with identification

  • Wilson, S. and G. Swan (2010). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia: 3rd Edition 558 pp. New Holland Publishers, Australia.

Other references

  • Limpus, C.H. (1982). The reptiles of Lizard Island, Herpetofauna, 13(2): 1-6. LIRS catalog number 73.