Blue-bellied Black 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>   |   <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Yellowfaced Whip Snake"><U>Yellow-faced Whip Snake</U></A>   |   <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>   |   <B>Blue-bellied Black Snake</B>   |   <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>Blue-bellied Black Snake</I></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="754" 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>Blue-bellied or Spotted Black Snake</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=6 WIDTH="358"><bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1d6ebfd0.png" border=0 width="235" height="253" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> <I><B>Scientific Name: </B></I>Pseudechis guttatus</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" >Dangerously venomous.  </FONT>Their head is indistinct from the neck.  Dorsal coloration is normally a shiny black however they also vary from shades of grey to pale brown with various amounts of paler grey, brown or cream spotted.  The under surface is dark blue-grey to bluish-black.  This snake is more abundant from August to November and is most active in the mornings and afternoons and at night during hot weather.  They breed in spring and females lay 6-16 soft-shelled eggs in December.  The eggs hatch 2-3 months later and are about 25 cm in length and stay in their split egg for 1-2 days consuming the remaining yolk.  They grow up to 1.8 metres in length with the males being larger than the females.</div> <div> <I><B>Diet: </B></I>Lizards, snakes, skinks, frogs and small mammals (especially rabbits, mice and rats).</div> <div> <I><B>Habitat: </B></I>South - eastern QLD yo North - eastern NSW</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>