White-lipped Snake
Encyclopedia
The White-lipped Snake (Drysdalia coronoides) is a small species of elapid snake that is restricted to south-eastern mainland 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...

 and Tasmania. It is the smallest of 3 species of snake found in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 and is Australia's most cold tolerant snake, even inhabiting areas on Mount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia...

 above the snow line. Growing to only about 40 cm in length, this snake feeds almost exclusively on skinks. They belong to the genus Drysdalia
Drysdalia
The crowned snakes are a group of snakes belonging to the genus Drysdalia of the family Elapidae. The four species in this genus are venomous, but not considered deadly.-Description:...

, and are often referred to as whip snakes in Tasmania ( true whip snakes from Australia are in the genus Demansia
Demansia
Demansia is a genus of snake of the Elapidae order. Demansia as also known as whip snakes,and all species of the family is painted on gray, cuttlefish, brown, gray-green or kaki and the unique specie in cream colour is the Yellow-faced whip snake. Whip snakes are very long and narrow. The species...

and are only found on the mainland ) . This species gets its name from a thin, white line bordered above by a narrow black line that runs along the upper lip.
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