![]() In contrast to male combat in many other elapids in which the males use their head and forebody to try and press down the head and forebody of their opponent, males of Austrelapsseem to keep their heads apart and only intertwine their bodies.Īustrelaps labialis - Males are mature at a snout-vent length of at least 305mm and females are mature at a snout-vent length of at least 304mm. Male copperheads engage in combat at the onset of the breeding season. Watch a video of copperheads mating in March 2021, filmed by Peter Roland in South Warrnambool, Victoria. ![]() There is evidence to suggest wild females do not breed every year. Pygmy Copperhead ( Austrelaps labialis) - only found in the Mount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide and on Kangaroo Island.Īll 3 species are ovoviviparous (live-bearing).DistributionĬopperheads are restricted to relatively cool and cold environments in southeastern parts of Australia, including Kangaroo Island, Tasmania and the Bass Strait Islands. Overwintering sites are usually near water. Lowland Copperheads have been recorded overwintering in shallow shelters such as under large rocks, logs, roofing iron and tractor tires and in piles of hay bales. The snakes shelter under boulders, logs, stumps and sheets of roofing iron, in clumps of dense vegetation such as buttongrass, cutting grass, gorse and Juncus and in yabbie burrows, muttonbird burrows and disused rabbit and rodent burrows. Here they occur around dams, soaks, canals and drainage ditches, and along the verges of roads. This species is able to live in areas heavily disturbed, even those that have been under agriculture for over 100 years. It is often found in habitats next to water, such as marshes, lagoons, swamps, lakes, creeks, streams and rivers. Lowland Copperhead - inhabits grassland, heathland, woodlands and open scrub. The snake shelters under fallen timber in deep matted vegetation such as tussock grasses, in abandoned burrows and under large flat stones. It also inhabits disturbed areas such as grazing lands and cleared areas. Highland Copperhead – this species occurs in woodland and open forest, usually near water (especially still water such as in wetlands and small creeks). It shelters in deep matted vegetation such as tussock grasses, under flat stones and in or under fallen timber. However, on Kangaroo Island it can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including coastal dunes, samphire flats, open grassland, closed woodland and in agricultural areas. Pygmy Copperhead - in the Mount Lofty Ranges, the species occurs almost exclusively in high altitude forest. ![]() Midbody scales in 15 (rarely 17) rows, ventrals 140-165, anal and subcaudal scales single. The common name Copperhead refers to the coppery-brown coloration of the head and particularly the snout of some individuals (most often seen in Lowland Copperheads). The eyes are moderately large, pale coloured with a brown to reddish-brown rim, and the pupil is round. ![]() The upper labials are characteristically “barred” with a whitish anterior edge. The head is relatively narrow and barely distinct from the neck. There are no markings except for an obscure neck band and/or a dark vertebral line in some individuals (more obvious in juveniles). The lowermost rows of lateral scales are enlarged and these are usually a paler colour, particularly on the neck and forebody. The scales of the back and upper sides are semi-glossy and uniformly blackish to grey brown in colour, with a brownish or orange flush in some individuals of Lowland and Highland Copperheads. They are moderately robust and muscular in build. ![]() All species of copperheads are fairly similar in general form and colouration. ![]()
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