The Pale-headed Snake, Hoplocephalus bitorquatus (Jan 1859), is a slender-bodied, arboreal, venomous snake that is widely, but patchily, distributed through coastal and inland eastern Australia. We summarise existing knowledge on the conservation status and the ecology of this taxon, and provide original data based on fieldwork at a study site on the Namoi River (a river red gum - coolabah woodland). Four radio-tracked snakes spent long periods hidden within tree hollows, usually in Coolabah Trees. The telemetered snakes moved infrequently, with one gravid female remaining within the same tree for 6' days. Overall, strong similarities are evident between the Pale-headed Snake and two congeneric species that have attracted more detailed previous research. Those similarities, and the range of threatening processes affecting inland riparian ecosystems, suggest that the Pale-headed Snake may be of significant conservation concern and thus, warrant more intensive study.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
NotSpecified|
October 14 2011
Ecology and conservation of the Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus, Elapidae)
Mark Fitzgerald;
Mark Fitzgerald
1
School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
Lazell Brian;
Lazell Brian
2
53 Curtin Street, Cabramatta, NSW 2166, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
Richard Shine
Richard Shine
1
School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
Australian Zoologist (2010) 35 (2): 283–290.
Citation
Mark Fitzgerald, Lazell Brian, Richard Shine; Ecology and conservation of the Pale-headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus, Elapidae). Australian Zoologist 1 January 2010; 35 (2): 283–290. doi: https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2010.017
Download citation file:

How do RZS NSW members access the full text papers?
If you are a current RZS NSW member (with publications), please access the full text of papers by visiting https://www.rzsnsw.org.au/Australian-Zoologist-access-(Members-Only) (you will be asked to log in to RZS NSW). Do not log in at the top of this current page for access.
Citing articles via
Appropriate use of acoustics for surveying koalas and interpreting habitat use: a rebuttal to Smith and Pile (2024)
Brad Law, Leroy Gonsalves, Traecey Brassil, Isobel Kerr
Spatial and temporal patterns in the terrestrial vertebrate fauna of Edgbaston, a biogeographically significant conservation reserve in central Queensland
Pippa L. Kern, Gabrielle Lebbink, Anders Zimny, Gina Zimny, Rebecca Diete, Alex S. Kutt
Remembering the remarkable Frank Talbot
Pat Hutchings, Winston Ponder, Harry Recher
Parma wallabies: a history of translocations and reintroductions
Samaa Kalsia, Melanie Edwards, George Wilson
Breeding by Barn Owls Tyto alba in artificial nest hollows established for an endangered black cockatoo in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia
Peter R Mawson, Rick Dawson, Denis A Saunders