Red-naped Snake

About the Red-naped Snake

The red-naped snake (Furina diadema) is a small venomous reptile from the family Elapidae. The snakes are found in four Australian states and are listed as 'threatened' in Victoria'. They are nocturnal and feed on small skinks. The young eastern brown snake is similar in appearance.

The red-naped snake has small black eyes, a shiny black head, and neck. Its head appears to be partially flattened. On the upper lip is a streak of white. On the back of the neck there is a well defined patch of orange or red in the shape of a diamond, crescent or oval. The belly can be either a cream colour or white. The remainder of the body is a red-brown colour. The edges of these dorsal scales are either black or dark brown and this makes the scales look like a net.

Furina diadema have a slim body and are considered a small snake. They have been reported to reach a maximum length of 45 cm. Other sources have reported them as reaching a maximum total length of 40 cm. The males are the smaller sex.

Theses snakes have between 160 and 210 ventral scales, a divided anal scale, between 35 and 70 subcaudal scales and generally 15 rows of mid-body scales. Although red-naped snakes... Wikipedia →