Common Death Adder
Acanthophis antarcticus
The common death adder occurs over much of eastern and coastal southern Australia. Thanks to its banded red earth stripes, the death adder is expertly camouflaged, hiding beneath leaf litter. It is an ambush predator, unlike most Australian elapid (the front fanged venomous snakes). The death adder venom is toxic, regarded in the top 10 most venomous snakes in the world. Before the introduction of antivenom, about 60% of bites to humans were fatal.
- Size:
- Max length of 1 metre, usually much shorter
- Diet:
- Small mammals and birds primarily
- Speed:
- One of the fastest striking snakes in the world, in under 100 milliseconds! Otherwise it is a slow moving snake
- Habitat:
- Woodlands
- Superpower:
- Tip of its tail is coloured yellow or white, and is used to lure prey to them by wiggling it like a worm!