Identification: Generally has a black dorsal colour, however can be dark grey with spotted cream scales but some individuals won't have spotting. Head indistinct from the neck. Belly typically grey with or without a blue-coloured tinge. Grows to 1.8 m in length.

 

Habitat: Dry open forests and rocky country normally west of the great dividing range some specimens occasionally turn up east of Toowoomba in the Lockyer Valley or around Warwick.

 

Diet: Frogs, small mammals and reptiles.

 

Reproduction: Strangely it has been recorded as a live bearer and laying eggs up to 13 in a clutch.

 

Danger: Dangerously venomous, the most toxic venom of all the black snakes, but known to deliver in small doses. Pressure immobilisation and hospitalisation should commence immediately.

 

Behaviour: Will hiss loudly and flatten its neck and will strike without hesitation is molested.