Dugite
Encyclopedia
Dugite is a common name
for the highly venomous snake
, Pseudonaja affinis, an Australia
n species which can inflict a fatal bite.
and in remote coastal parts of western South Australia
. They prefer sandy areas and like most snakes will not normally approach populated areas but may be seen if looking for food and water. In Western Australia they are currently common in bushland
areas, but their numbers are diminishing.
and to kill or injure one attracts a fine of up to A$4000.
, dugites are diurnal. The female dugite lays 10 to 20 eggs
at a time.
Its venom is potentially one of the most lethal in the world, causing coagulopathic and procoagulant effects. Dugites generally avoid biting humans, but risks of encounters rise when they are most active during the mating season through October and November.Dugites love to live near people ABC, 10 August 2004. Cached by Google
The last death attributed to a dugite was in 1993 after an elderly man died in Spearwood
, Perth
.
In January 2011, a seven year old Perth boy was bitten and temporarily paralyzed after a Dugite crawled into his bedroom and wrapped itself around his arm while he slept. After seeking medical attention quickly, he made a full recovery.
in 1872. It is a member of the genus Pseudonaja
, sometimes referred to as Brown snakes, contained by the Elapidae
family. The descriptions of three subspecies are currently accepted, they are:
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
for the highly venomous snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
, Pseudonaja affinis, an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n species which can inflict a fatal bite.
Description
Dugites are coloured grey, green or brown. The colours vary widely between individuals and are an unreliable means of identifying species. The most distinguishing characteristic is the shape of the head, this is small compared to the neck, and grades imperceptibly into the body. They can grow up to 2m long.Distribution and habitat
Members of the genus are found in southern parts of Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and in remote coastal parts of western South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. They prefer sandy areas and like most snakes will not normally approach populated areas but may be seen if looking for food and water. In Western Australia they are currently common in bushland
Bushland
Bushland is any area in Australia that is predominantly indigenous flora and fauna.Bushland is the term commonly used by conservation protection groups and other environmental groups as a blanket term for natural vegetation, which may cover any kind of habitat from open shrubby country with few...
areas, but their numbers are diminishing.
Conservation status
Dugites are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
The Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 is an act of the Western Australian Parliament that provides the statute relating to conservation and legal protection of flora and fauna....
and to kill or injure one attracts a fine of up to A$4000.
Behavior
Like other brown snakesPseudonaja
Pseudonaja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes native to Australia. Members are known commonly as brown snakes and are considered to be one of the most dangerous snakes in the country; even young snakes are capable of delivering a fatal envenomation to a human.- Species :* Dugite or Spotted...
, dugites are diurnal. The female dugite lays 10 to 20 eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
at a time.
Its venom is potentially one of the most lethal in the world, causing coagulopathic and procoagulant effects. Dugites generally avoid biting humans, but risks of encounters rise when they are most active during the mating season through October and November.Dugites love to live near people ABC, 10 August 2004. Cached by Google
The last death attributed to a dugite was in 1993 after an elderly man died in Spearwood
Spearwood, Western Australia
Spearwood is a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn. It was named by colonial settlers who noticed the native tea trees, scientific name Melaleuca lanceolata Chipolata, being used for spears by the Yugul Aboriginal people.-History:Settlement appears to...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
In January 2011, a seven year old Perth boy was bitten and temporarily paralyzed after a Dugite crawled into his bedroom and wrapped itself around his arm while he slept. After seeking medical attention quickly, he made a full recovery.
Name and classification
The species was first described by Albert GüntherAlbert C. L. G. Günther
Albert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther , was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist....
in 1872. It is a member of the genus Pseudonaja
Pseudonaja
Pseudonaja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes native to Australia. Members are known commonly as brown snakes and are considered to be one of the most dangerous snakes in the country; even young snakes are capable of delivering a fatal envenomation to a human.- Species :* Dugite or Spotted...
, sometimes referred to as Brown snakes, contained by the Elapidae
Elapidae
Elapidae is a family of venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, terrestrially in Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America and aquatically in the Pacific and Indian Oceans...
family. The descriptions of three subspecies are currently accepted, they are:
- Pseudonaja affinis affinis
- Pseudonaja affinis exilis StorrGlen Milton StorrDr Glen Milton Storr was an Australian ornithologist. He joined the Western Australian Museum in 1962 and became Curator of Ornithology and Herpetology in 1965. He was a member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union , and served as Secretary of the Western Australian Branch of the RAOU...
1989 - Pseudonaja affinis tanneri (WorrellEric WorrellEric Worrell was an Australian herpetologist and writer who was a pioneer in the production of snake anti-venom in Australia.Worrell was born in Sydney and grew up in Paddington...
) 1961
Further reading
- Bush, Brian et al. (2007) Reptiles and frogs in the bush : southwestern Australia Crawley, W.A. : University of Western Australia Press. ISBN 9781920694746
- Storr, G. M. (1988) Dangerous snakes of Western Australia Perth, W.A. Western Australian Museum. ISBN 072447975
- Storr, G. M. (2002) Snakes of Western Australia Perth, W.A. Western Australian Museum. ISBN 0730712958
- Swan, Gerry. (1995) A photographic guide to snakes & other reptiles of Australia Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 1853685852