Yellow-faced Whip Snake

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=95 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="21a8dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>index</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="index"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Red bellied Black"><U>Red - bellied Black</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bandybandy"><U>Bandy-bandy</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id132.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Childrens Python"><U>Children's Python</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id135.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Coastal Carpet Python"><U>Coastal Carpet Python</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Olive Python"><U>Olive Python</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id147.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Water Python"><U>Water Python</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id145.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Diamond Python"><U>Diamond Python</U></A>   |   <B>Yellow-faced Whip Snake</B>   |   <A HREF="id148.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Curl Snake"><U>Curl Snake</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mainland Taipan"><U>Mainland Taipan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id154.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eastern Brown Snake"><U>Eastern Brown Snake</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id155.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bluebellied Black Snake"><U>Blue-bellied Black Snake</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id156.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blackheaded Python"><U>Black-headed Python</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=385 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="21a8dfc3.jpg"> <div> <I>Yellow-faced Whip Snake</I></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="755" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#003300" BORDERCOLORDARK="#006633" FRAME="BOX" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>Common Name: </B></I>Yellow-faced Whip snake</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=6 WIDTH="359"><bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="18a5ae20.jpg" border=0 width="346" height="226" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> This picture is from Green guide Snakes & other reptiles of Australia by Gerry Swan.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>Scientific Name: </B></I>Demansia psammophis</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=4 HEIGHT= 1 WIDTH="379"><div> <I><B>General characteristics:</B></I> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" >Venomous, only large individuals may be harmful.  </FONT>Their head is distinct from the neck.  Their coloration varies in various states, in South eastern Australia they are often light grey or olive-grey.  In SA and WA they are grey or greenish with a dark, net like pattern.  In Northern eastern Australia they are grey with reddish flush on the back and the belly is grey-green to yellowish.  A dark narrow yellow-edged bar runs between the nostrils and there is a dark pale-edged comma - like marking between the eye and mouth.  Ventral surface is creamish to greyish-green.  Their scales are smooth but not gloss. They have large eyes on which they rely a great deal because the bulk of their diet consists of lizards that are active during the daytime.  Unlike most snakes the Yellow-faced Whip snake eats year round.  The most commonly encountered whip snake is the Yellow-faced whip snake, recognizable by a distinctive 'comma' around the eyes.  They mate in late winter and spring.  They (the females) are egg layers and are known to make use of communal nests.  In early summer the female has 6 eggs in an average clutch, but have been known to have up to 9 eggs in a clutch.  The hatchlings are about 17 cm long and maturity for these snakes is around 20 months.  Although venomous, it is not regarded as dangerous to humans.  They grow up to 180 cm in length.  Males are larger then the females.</div> <div> <I><B>Diet: </B></I> Small lizards such as geckos, skinks and dragons, small reptiles, reptile eggs and frogs.</div> <div> <I><B>Habitat: </B></I>Eastern Australia</div> <div> <I><B>Status:</B></I> Secure</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> </tR> <tR> </tR> <tR> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Page updated 1 February 2006</div> </td> </tr></table></body>