Notechis scutatus (Tiger Snake)

Its body colour is olive, grey-brown or black with pale bands along the body. Can grown to over 2 m in length but individuals in the region average less then 1.2 m. Can be missidentified with juvenile eastern brown snakes which have dark hoods and may have numerous narrow, dark cross bands. The eastern tiger snake is found predominantly along the Kiewa and Murray Rivers and adjacent wetlands. Its produces up to 40 live young and feeds predominantly on frogs and lizards, although birds and mammals are also preyed on. It is a highly venomous species and has been involved in several fatalities. This species has had a chequered history in the region. It was once abundant along the Murray River floodplain and adjacent wetlands throughout the Riverina. Persecution by ‘sportsman’ in the early 1900s and changes to flooding regimes significantly reduced its range and abundance. When irrigation channels were constructed and rice farming began, the eastern tiger snake adapted to this new environment, and in some areas numbers have recovered.