How Big Can a Red Belly Black Snake Get
Red-bellied Black Snake Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a red-bellied black snake?
The red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a type of venomous snake found on the east coast of Australia.
What class of animal does a red-bellied black snake belong to?
The red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) belongs to the Reptilia class of the Animalia kingdom.
How many red-bellied black snakes are there in the world?
The exact number of red-bellied black snakes in the world is unknown. But they are listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. They are also one of the most commonly encountered snakes of Eastern Australia. So it can be safely said that they are not endangered at all and there are a lot of them in their native wild habitat.
Where does a red-bellied black snake live?
Red-bellied black snakes are found in Australia. They can be seen frequently along the Eastern coast of Australia and the Northern parts of Victoria. They can also be found in South Australia. They are native to Australia and can be seen frequently in Eastern Australia. They can be found in places like Cairns, Queensland, Melbourne, and Adelaide.
What is a red-bellied black snake's habitat?
The red-bellied black snake's habitat is mostly wet places such as swamps and lagoons. They are also found in forests and woodlands, but in lesser numbers. These amazing diurnal creatures enjoy direct sunlight and their habitat needs to be able to provide that. Thus, they are most commonly found in wet and warm places. Plains, warm grasslands, and bushlands are also preferred by them. Even though they are mostly ground-dwelling snakes, they can hunt for prey in water. They can also submerge themselves in water to keep themselves safe from predators.
Who do red-bellied black snakes live with?
There is not much data available about their behavior in the wild. However, they are indeed very active snakes that like to move around a lot. They are also diurnal, which means active during the day. It is believed that they live alone, but late on in their pregnancy, the females tend to band together.
How long does a red-bellied black snake live?
The average Australian red-bellied black snake's lifespan is about eight to 11 years. The highest recorded age of this snake in captivity was 11.6 years. There are no conclusive records of their lifespan in the wild.
How do they reproduce?
The red-bellied black snake has a very interesting mating system. The males travel a lot trying to find a suitable mate. The females do not move as much. When multiple males encounter a female they want to mate with, they usually engage in combat. If the female finds a suitable mate, she will mate with it. The males might get excited and hiss or even bite the female. The female red-bellied black snake usually allows the male to align his body with hers if she finds him suitable. The males are usually slightly larger than females.
Red-bellied black snakes only mate once a year. Their breeding season usually lasts from late summer to early spring. But the most common time for mating is October to November, which is springtime in Australia. The female gestation period is about four or five months. These snakes give birth to live young in February and March. A female red-bellied black snake can give birth to up to 40 neonates. After giving birth, the female usually abandons the young. The red-bellied black snake babies are independent almost immediately after birth. The juvenile red-bellied black snake size is about 4-5 in (10-12 cm). The females of the species reach sexual maturity later than the males. While the males become mature after about two years, the females reach maturity at the age of around three years.
What is their conservation status?
The red-bellied black snake conservation status is listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. This means that there are a lot of them in the wild and the red-bellied black snake population is not endangered.
Red-bellied Black Snake Fun Facts
What do red-bellied black snakes look like?
As the name suggests, the red-bellied black snake's skin is usually glossy black. And the red-bellied black snake belly is a duller red. The backs of their body are glossy black and their snouts are a lighter gray or pale brown. Their mouths are brown and their tails are completely black. They also lack a defined neck. The red-bellied black snake's head seems to merge with their body fluidly. Their name stems from the fact that they have bright red and orange flanks and their bellies are a bit duller red or pink. They are very striking and can look beautiful and dangerous at the same time. The adults are usually 4-5 ft (1.25-1.5 m) long, but they may even be longer. The males of the species are slightly larger than the females. The highest recorded snout-vent length was 8.4 ft (2.5 m). Their scales are glossy and smooth, making the snake look stunning. They have medium-sized eyes with dark, round pupils. They have many scales like ventral scales, dorsal scales, and subcaudal scales. These scales are important for the identification of the snake species. Due to their difference in skeletal structures, the female red-bellied black snake mouth can open wider than the male.
How cute are they?
Cuteness can be very subjective and often depends on the eye of the beholder. However, it can be said that this snake species is beautiful. With its glossy black scales that fade into a paler red in their belly, the red-bellied black snakes are obviously a sight to behold. They are also easy to identify due to their coloration. These snakes may be dangerous as they are venomous and one of the most encountered snakes in Australia. But you cannot deny the fact that this snake is a magnificent creature.
How do they communicate?
There are a few ways in which the red-bellied black snakes communicate with each other. These methods are mostly used in mating and combat. In the mating season, two males might engage in combat in order to win the affections of a female. Their combat involves them stretching their necks and intertwining their upper bodies with each other. The combat can last as long as half an hour, but usually, it is over in a few minutes. While mating, the red-bellied black snakes also have a unique way of showing affection. The male stretches his body along the female's and might even hiss at her or bite her. This is all part of their mating process. Other than this, they also have a very heightened sense of smell and heat perception like all other snakes, which helps them to identify and attack their prey when they are in the vicinity. They can also sense the presence of a predator using these methods.
How big is a red-bellied black snake?
The average length of the red-bellied black snake is about 4-5 ft (1.25-1.5 m). But they can grow even longer than that. The longest recorded red-bellied black snake was about 8.4 ft (2.5 m) long. The males are usually slightly larger than females, and they look striking with their glossy black body and red belly.
How fast can a red-bellied black snake move?
The exact speed of the species is unknown, however, it is known that they can move freely on both land and in water.
How much does a red-bellied black snake weigh?
The average weight of red-bellied black snakes is about 17-22 lb (8-10 kg), but these numbers are not conclusive.
What are their male and female names of the species?
Just like all other snake species, there are no particular names for the male and female red-bellied black snakes.
What would you call a baby red-bellied black snake?
Like all other snake species, the red-bellied black snake baby is called a 'neonate' or 'snakelet'. Neonate is the most common name for any snake baby.
What do they eat?
Red-bellied black snakes are opportunistic predators and carnivores. The red-bellied black snake diet consists of a plethora of smaller animals like frogs, reptiles, small mammals, and even smaller snakes, including its own species. They can hunt in bodies of water and on the surface as well. Their bites are venomous but there had been no account of a Red-bellied Black Snakes' venom killing a human being. Their venom can cause several other reactions like local swelling, diarrhea, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Even though the bite may be painful and cause a lot of health issues, it is not lethal and can be treated over time.
Are they aggressive?
The Red-bellied black snake's temperament is usually not aggressive. They tend to be shy and avoid human contact. They can also submerge themselves underwater to avoid being seen. They are not a life-threatening species, but their venom can cause a lot of problems in humans. Even though they are one of the most encountered snakes in their native land, if you leave them alone, they will not harm you.
Would they make a good pet?
It is up for debate whether they can be good pets or not. One thing is clear, they are definitely not the right pet if you are a novice at taking care of reptiles. However, they are commonly kept as pets in Australia and this leads us to believe that they can be good pets. They adapt to captivity really well if they have a good supply of food. They are not aggressive but their venom can be quite harmful even though it won't kill you. But if you are not well-versed about snakes, it is not a good idea to get a red-bellied black snake as your pet.
Did you know...
The red-bellied black snake's bite can be harmful to humans but it is not deadly.
What do red-bellied black snakes do when Threatened?
When threatened, the red-bellied black snakes raise their upper bodies from the ground, flatten their necks and make a striking stance. In their striking stance, they also might perform a series of hisses and strikes to scare off whatever threatened them. However, mostly they hide from predators, thanks to their great sense of smell and heat.
How many young can a red-bellied black snake give birth to?
Red-bellied black snakes are one of the snake species that give birth to live young. Which means they are ovoviviparous. The females can give birth to up to 40 live young at once.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles including the mangrove snake and the gopher snake.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our Red-bellied black snake coloring pages.
How Big Can a Red Belly Black Snake Get
Source: https://kidadl.com/animal-facts/red-bellied-black-snake-facts