Cacophis squamulosus
Description
Gold–Crowned snakes (Cacophis squamulosus) are rarely seen as they are a nocturnal species and are typically only active on warm nights especially if there are storms about. At 50 - 90 cm long (females larger than males) they are also a very small snake and are hard to see in the leaf litter that they inhabit. Gold-Crowned Snakes are dark-brown to dark-grey above and pink to orange below, with a distinctive yellowish-brown crown-shaped marking on the head which gives it its name. They are also have very unusual eyes with pupils that are vertically elliptical. This snake will sleep under rocks, logs and leaf litter during the night and emerge at night to hunt
Gold-Crowned Snakes belong to the Elapid family and although mildly venomous they are not regarded as dangerous to humans. When encountered they will often rear in a bluff display by raising their heads and lunge with a closed mouth at their aggressor.
During summer time Gold-Crowned Snakes lay from 2-15 eggs in January and the 16 cm long hatchlings typically emerge around March. Females will often bask on warm rocks, paths and roads to warm their eggs on cool nights.
They are mostly found in moist areas within forests where there is an abundance of rocks like sandstone and green, healthy vegetation.
Adaptations
- Nocturnal hunters that try to catch prey, especially lizards, while they are asleep
- Venom and fangs to inject and immobilise prey
- Small body to enable ease of movement through leaf litter of forest floor
- Camouflaging colouration to blend into leaf litter
Feeding relationships
- What I eat: lizards, frogs, tadpoles, lizard eggs and even other snakes
- What eats me: Kookaburra, Lace Monitor, fox, cat, dogs
Interesting facts
This snake is often confused with the White-Crowned Snake (Cacophis harriettae). However unlike a White-Crowned Snake, the 'crown' is a pale yellow-brown stripe starting at the snout and sweeping back along both sides of the head and does not connect at the back. They may also be confused with the more dangerous Red-Bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) due to their colouration on their belly.