Blue-bellied Black Snake
In areas where Blue-bellied Black Snakes are found they are often confused with the similar-looking Red-bellied Black Snake Pseudechis porphyriacus, and also occasionally with the Eastern Brown Snake Pseudonaja textilis (particularly brownish specimens). Juvenile snakes may also resemble dark or melanotic forms of Swamp Snake Hemiaspis signata, although they will lack the white facial stripes that are usually present in this species.
Blue-bellied Black Snakes are predominantly a shiny bluish- or brownish-black, with a dark bluish-grey or black belly. Some individuals can be cream/pale grey in colour, with each scale edged in black, giving a spotted appearance (hence their other common name Spotted Black Snake). Others may be intermediate between the two, having a mixture of pale and dark scales that form thin broken crossbands, however in all forms the head is uniformly dark. The head is relatively broad and deep, and barely distinct from the robust body. There is an obvious brow ridge over the darkly-coloured eye.
The Blue-bellied Black Snake can be found in a range of habitats, from river floodplains and wetlands to dry sclerophyll forest and woodlands. They shelter under fallen logs, in deep soil cracks or abandoned animal burrows, and also in dense matted vegetation. The snake occurs just west of the coastal ranges in southeast Queensland and northeastern New South Wales.
Usually a shy animal, the Blue-bellied Black Snake will defend itself aggressively if threatened. It will first give a warning display, hissing loudly and holding its flattened forebody in a low S-shape. Further harassment will cause the snake to strike out, although it sometimes does so with a closed mouth. If the snake does bite it often hangs on and chews, ensuring a good dose of venom is injected. The venom is highly toxic and contains coagulants, haemolysins, neurotoxins and cytotoxins. Anyone suspected of receiving a bite from a Blue-bellied Black Snake should seek immediate medical attention.
