The Snakes of Wodgina

Catching a snake always gives me a rush. They are some of the most wonderful and beautiful animals found in the Pilbara, but must always be treated with respect. Wodgina provided some cool snakes.

A Yellow-faced Whipsnake (Demansia psammophis), a day hunting, lightning-fast snake that chases lizards.

They grow to about a metre and are not considered dangerous to humans, but they can bite at lightning speed. I had a close experience with one near Perth that slid out the funnel trap opening while I was trying to see inside. Suddenly I had an annoyed whipsnake head only an inch from my eye, luckily he was only having a look at me too!

The subspecies in the northwest is cupreiceps with a nice copper head and tail.

The wonderful Black-headed Python (Aspidites melanocephalus) we found while driving along the railway road late one afternoon. The videos of this snake are at  http://wazoologist.blogspot.com/2010/06/black-headed-python-videos.html

My boss Trin over the moon holding the Black-headed Python.

One of the four fantastic snakes from the genus Simoselaps. A Desert Banded Snake (Simoselaps anomalus).

Such a beautiful harmless small snake, found in sandy spinifex deserts of Western Australia where it swims through sand to hunt small burrowing lizards.

All of the Simoselaps have stunning body patterns.