Fun Tiger Snake Facts For Kids

The tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, is a member of the snake family. It belongs to the same family of a western tiger snake. This extremely venomous snake has a wide population distribution. The southern parts of Australia, the western and the eastern Australian landmass are its dwelling grounds. Australia including mainly Victoria and Tasmania are the most common grounds among all the places if you need to see this snake. This snake is considered to be extremely deadly. The bite of a tiger snake, if left untreated for long, is fatal. But seldom do these snakes attack humans.

Tiger snakes vary in their appearance according to region. The ones who inhabit Tasmania are mostly jet black in color. The Peninsula tiger snake, on the other hand, has light-colored markings around its lips. There are many subspecies of this snake. A black tiger snake, scientific name Notechis ater, has three different subspecies under it. The tiger snakes occupying the Chappell Islands and King Islands come under it. These snakes are carnivorous, which mainly feed on frogs. These reptiles are sedentary, diurnal, and solitary creatures, which have a stable population to date.

This article covers information on tiger snake Australia, eastern tiger snake, Asian tiger snake, Australian tiger snake facts, African tiger snake, tiger snake habitat, tiger snake venom, tiger snake antivenom, tiger snake bite symptoms, tiger snake fangs, and the great tiger snake. You may also check out the fact files on the black rat snake and gopher snake from Kidadl.
 

What type of animal is a tiger snake?

A tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, is a type of venomous snake of Australia. Its similar species is the tiger snake, Notechis occidentalis, or western tiger snake. There are many tiger snake populations under the Notechis family with distinct subspecies. These snakes are mostly ground-dwelling. They can also swim in water bodies with much ease.

What class of animal does a tiger snake belong to?

The tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, belongs to the family of Elapidae under the Reptilia class. The Notechis ater or black tiger snake is another common species of this snake, which has three further subspecies. The tiger snake, Notechis occidentalis, is the western tiger snake, which is in the same family.

How many tiger snakes are there in the world?

There is no estimate of the population of tiger snakes in the world. Since this species of snakes are tagged as Least Concern by the IUCN, then it can be said that their population is stable. It is quite a common snake in the localities of Australia.

Where does a tiger snake live?

A tiger snake (genus Notechis) can be found in a variety of landscapes. They are found occupying rivers, swamps, or creeks in the biome of temperate grasslands, wetlands. The population of these species is also quite common in tropical dry, and moist forests. They can be found in various islands of Australia, including King Island. Their populations are quite large in offshore islands like those in Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales. Various subspecies of tiger snakes are found in South Australia and Western Australia. Tiger snakes are mostly found living on the ground. They are ground-dwelling creatures. But it has often been found that they can climb trees easily. They are also seen dwelling in the shrubs.

What is a tiger snake's habitat?

Large populations of tiger snakes are seen occupying the islands of the Australian landmass. Mainland Australia is home to many types of tiger snakes. But apart from mainland Australia, these snakes are also abundant in Western Australia, South Australia, and in the Eastern parts of the Australian land too. Large populations of tiger snakes occupy Australian offshore islands like Tasmania. Southern and eastern New South Wales is home to a variety of these snakes.

The Chappell island in the Bass Strait is home to the Chappell Island tiger snakes. The Bass Strait has extreme winters. These snakes have adjusted to such harsh weather. The Notechis ater or black tiger snakes are found in rocky, arid areas of Southern Australia.

Tiger snakes fail to maintain their body temperature constantly. They need help from where they live. The environment plays an important role in their choice of habitat. They use the warmth from the sun to keep themselves warm. In the cooler months of winter, they take refuge in the burrows, hollow logs, and other such sites.

Who do tiger snakes live with?

Tiger snakes, which belong to the genus Notechis, are solitary creatures. A tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, will only interact with other tiger snakes for mating.

How long does a tiger snake live?

A tiger snake, which is abundantly found in Australian landscapes, can survive for about 10 years. Some species of tiger snakes can survive for 15 years.

How do they reproduce?

Species of tiger snakes (or mainland tiger snakes) of Australia are independent of their birth. The mating season for a tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, begins in the spring. The males of this species are quite aggressive during this time. They fight with the males of the same species to establish their breeding rights. A female tiger snake at a time produces about 20-30 live young ones. An eastern female had the maximum record of giving birth to 64 babies! The babies are born in summer. These young snakelets are independent of birth. The mother snake does not give any additional care to the babies.

What is their conservation status?

The IUCN Red List has tagged the tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, as Least Concern. This indicates that the population of this species of tiger snakes is quite large. These venomous snakes, however, face some threats. Other predators, like larger species of snakes or prey birds, are their threat. Humans are also considered to be of threat. This is because these snake species are persecuted by humans. Their subspecies are also killed largely out of fear. Habitat destruction is another threat faced by these snakes. The habitat of tiger snakes is destroyed by fires, polluted water, and soil erosion.

What do tiger snakes look like?

A tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, is an extremely venomous species of snake that are found in the Australian landscape. These snakes of Australia are named so owing to their banded skin, resembling a tiger. There are variations in the appearance of these snakes according to their various species. A common tiger snake, or mainland tiger snake, has a robust body. Its head is flat and blunt. The body color is mostly brown, or green, and even olive at times.

This appearance changes in the case of a Chappell Island tiger snake or Tasmanian tiger snake. A Chappell island tiger snake is a giant snake with an olive-brown to even black body. One of the distinguishing characteristics of a Chappell Island tiger snake is that it has fangs, and crossbands are lighter. A Tasmanian tiger snake also has a blunt head. But a Tasmanian tiger snake can be black with light color crossbands, or unbanded gray, and even brown.

A black tiger snake (genus Notechis ater) has a black body, giving it its name. It can also be of olive color. A black tiger snake (genus Notechis ater) has yellow bands all over its body.

How cute are they?

Tiger snakes that are found in Tasmania or Australian landscapes are not very cute. This snake has a strong bite and secretes venom. These species of snakes are fatal to humans and other animals. They are not considered to be adorable to look at.

How do they communicate?

Like most other snakes, tiger snakes of Australia communicate through movement and vocalizations. In order to attract the females, a male tiger snake can jerk or twitch its body. Tiger snakes also communicate through hissing sounds or tail rattling.

How big is a tiger snake?

The average size of tiger snakes ranges between 39-47 in (100-120 cm). This size makes them at least three times larger than a Western Hognose.

How fast can a tiger snake move?

Tiger snakes that are found in Tasmania or other parts of Australia mostly live on the ground. The exact speed of these snake species is not clearly mentioned. But they are reported to move through various bodies of water with much ease.

How much does a tiger snake weigh?

The average weight of a tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, varies between 0.8-2.9 lb (0.4-1.3 kg). This makes them at least two times heavier than a Rosy boa.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate names assigned to a male and female tiger snake. They are simply denoted by their gender.

What would you call a baby tiger snake?

The live young ones of a tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, are called snakelets.

What do they eat?

The diet of a tiger snake includes a variety of birds, mammals, and reptiles. Their diet is mainly formed by frogs. These carnivorous animals also feed on lizards, tadpoles, and even carrion. The prey size of these snakes increases with their own size. The Chappell Island tiger snake is quite large in size. Thus they prey on chickens too. Their venom has powerful chemicals that help them digest their prey. This venom quickly subdues the prey that they catch. These snakes are diurnal in character. Their prey hunting is during the daylight.

Are they aggressive?

Tiger snakes of Australia are known for their venom. The popular opinion is that they are very aggressive. But tiger snake species turn only towards an aggressor if only interfered with. A tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, bites an aggressor with a large force. Untreated bites have very high mortality.

Would they make a good pet?

No, it is not wise to keep a venom-secreting tiger snake, Notechis scutatus, as a pet. Their bites are deadly. These snakes from Australia can bite you if they feel threatened. Such a bite will kill you if left untreated for long. The venom secreted by these snakes is fatal to any human or animal.

Did you know...

An interesting fact about a tiger snake that is found in Australia, is that it is a diurnal reptile. These creatures, which inhabit the islands of Tasmania and those around Australia, are most active during the daytime. It is also a terrestrial animal, which can easily dive or swim in the water. A tiger snake can spend as long as nine minutes underwater without needing to come up to breathe!

Some of the major predators which actually pose a threat to this venomous snake include prey birds and even larger snakes. One such snake is the Elapid snake. The birds which prey on tiger snakes are kites, harriers, and kookaburras.

Another interesting fact about these reptiles from Australia is that a major chunk of the population of tiger snakes is actually blind! Either they are blind in both eyes or in one eye. Their blindness is caused by repetitive attacks from nesting gulls. Such a high level of blindness makes these snakes vulnerable to humans. These snakes are also parasitized by roundworms, flukes, tapeworms, and so on.

How do tiger snakes get their name?

Tiger snakes of Australia are those snakes that secrete deadly venom and bite when turned aggressive. These snakes are abundant throughout Victoria and Tasmania. This species derives their name because of the resemblance they have with tigers. These snakes have dark-colored bodies. All throughout their bodies, they have yellow stripes, which makes them look like tigers. Hence they have got the name.

What do males do during mating season?

During the reproductive season, which takes place in the springs, the male tiger snakes practice ritualistic combats. The males fight with each other using their heads. They try to pin down the opponent's head. Many a time, it is found that their bodies are intertwined. The winner of the combat gets the opportunity to mate with the female. These combats last very long and have been recorded to have continued for even seven hours.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles from our corn snake facts and dwarf crocodile facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable tiger snake coloring pages.