|
It is sometimes mistaken for an Eastern Brown Snake, but can be distinguished by its conspicuous facial markings – a cream and black comma-shaped mark around the large eye and a narrow dark line across the snout. Its face is usually, but not always, yellowish in colour. Overall, the snake is a pale grey to brown in colour with a grey-green to yellowish underside. The head and tail may have a reddish tinge.
Like all elapid snakes it is front fanged - which means it has a pair of hollow, fixed fangs at the top front of the mouth. It injects venom through these fangs from pair of glands at the back of the top jaw. Its bite may cause intense local pain and swelling and is considered potentially dangerous, especially to children. Generally, it is a shy creature and it will flee if disturbed or threatened, but it will not hesitate to bite if captured.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake can grow up to 1 meter in length, with males typically larger than females. It is a slender and fast-moving snake, reaching speeds of over 10 km per hour. It's active during the day and hunts in open areas, using its excellent eyesight to spot prey. It kills its prey by either using its venom or by constriction. It eats mainly small lizards such as geckos and skinks, as well as lizard eggs and frogs. It is a fast hunter and it has been known to catch lizards on the run. At night, it shelters in crevices and hollows, or simply hides under low vegetation or surface debris.
Summer is their time for breeding. Males fight for dominance by twining their bodies around each other and sometimes biting. Females lay an average of 6 eggs, but up to 20 have been recorded. Communal egg-laying has also been reported. In one site, up to 600 eggs have been found laid together over several seasons. Hatchlings are about 170mm in length and become mature at about 20 months of age.
During Winter, the Yellow-faced Whip Snake likes to shelter in crevices beneath rocks. Sometimes a few individuals will share the same crevice and groups of up to 20 snakes have been observed.
|
