Pilbara Death Adder
Acanthophis wellsi
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyElapidae (Elapid Snakes)
- GenusAcanthophis (Death Adders)
- SpeciesAcanthophis wellsi (Pilbara Death Adder)
About the Pilbara Death Adder
The Pilbara death adder (Acanthophis wellsi), also known commonly as Wells' death adder, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is one of the eight members of the genus Acanthophis, a genus which is found throughout northwestern and southwestern Australia and some parts of southern Papua New Guinea. The species Acanthophis wellsi is endemic to Western Australia.
The Pilbara death adder was described by Raymond Hoser in 1998. The specific name, wellsi, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Richard Walter Wells. Dorsally, A. wellsi is usually brick red, with narrow, close-spaced gray crossbands. Individuals called "melanistic" have a black head, and the crossbands, which are wider, are yellowish brown, edged with black.
Acanthophis wellsi is found in the Hamersley Range and the Chichester Range in the Pilbara region in northern Western Australia. The preferred natural habitats of A. wellsi are grassland, shrubland, and rocky areas. Acanthophis wellsi is ovoviviparous.
Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Cape Range
Mulga Snake
Pseudechis australis
Orange-naped Snake
Furina ornata
Black-necked Whipsnake
Demansia calodera
Olive Sea Snake
Aipysurus laevis
Western Brown Snake
Pseudonaja mengdeni
Desert Banded Snake
Simoselaps bertholdi
Spotted Sea Snake
Hydrophis ocellatus
North-western Shovel-nosed Snake
Brachyurophis approximans
Reticulated Whipsnake
Demansia reticulata
Rosen's Snake
Suta fasciata
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Pilbara Death Adder in Cape Range?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Pilbara Death Adder sighting in Cape Range, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Pilbara Death Adder in Cape Range?
January has the highest sighting rate for Pilbara Death Adder in Cape Range in our monthly data.