Fauna Spotters logo

Grey Snake (Hemiaspis damelii)

The Grey Snake is a small, venomous elapid associated with seasonally inundated floodplains, ephemeral wetlands and heavy cracking clay soils in inland New South Wales and Queensland. Development, clearing, earthworks, altered wetland hydrology and damage to frog habitat can remove both its feeding areas and daytime refuges, so suitable wetland margins and cracking clay habitat require targeted assessment before disturbance.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

Grey Snakes give birth to live young from January to March. Adults are most active in warm months, especially after heavy rain or wetland inundation, so clearing near wetland edges carries the greatest risk from October to March, with the highest risk during the birth period.

Reproductive mode: Viviparous, live-bearing.

Litter size: 4 to 16 live young, with an average of 10.

Incubation or gestation: Not recorded.

Size at birth: Approximately 140 mm.

Age at maturity: Males mature at around 7 months and females at 12 months.

Nest or egg sites: Not applicable to this live-bearing species. Birth-site details are not recorded; breeding habitat is associated with seasonally inundated floodplain wetlands and wetland margins.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing locally before clearing, using recent rainfall, wetland inundation and overnight temperatures above 15 degrees as triggers for increased activity and survey effort.

  • Births: Births occur between January and March, with 4 to 16 live young per litter and an average of 10. Treat January to March as the peak period for newborns and breeding-related disturbance risk.
  • Newborns: Newborns are expected to be most abundant from January to March because births are reported in that period. They are approximately 140 mm long, and the duration of dependence is not recorded.
  • Active period: Southern New South Wales records show activity from October to February at temperatures above 15 degrees, while northern New South Wales and southern Queensland records occur in all seasons but are concentrated from October to March. Activity is crepuscular or nocturnal and is most likely after heavy rain or when soil cracks and gilgais are inundated.
  • Winter inactivity: Brumation and hibernation have not been recorded. Southern populations are less likely to be surface active from June to August, but Grey Snakes may shelter in deep soil cracks, logs, rocks, vegetation or other ground cover, and northern populations can occur in all seasons.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from January to March, when births occur and young are present, and remains elevated from October to December during the warm, wet activity period. Clearing can still harm sheltering snakes and habitat outside these months, especially around wetland margins, cracking clay, gilgais and other ground refuges.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Grey Snake is an indistinct, front-fanged elapid that is easily overlooked in floodplain and wetland habitat. Identification should be confirmed by an experienced person because several small Australian snakes have similar colouration.

The body is uniformly pale grey, dark grey or olive grey above. Juveniles have a black crown and several black scale rows on the nape; this marking usually reduces to a crescent or disappears in adults.

The belly is white, cream or pale yellow, often with darker flecks. The skin between the scales is black. The eyes are relatively large compared with those of other small snakes using the same habitat.

The scales are smooth, with 17 mid-body scale rows, 140 to 170 ventral scales, a divided anal scale and 35 to 50 single subcaudal scales.

Maximum total length is about 600 mm. In New South Wales, reported average snout to vent length is 426 mm, and in Queensland it is 378 mm. Males generally attain larger size, although measurements vary between samples. Weight has not been reported in the supplied sources.

Maximum total length: About 600 mm

Mid-body scale rows: 17

Ventral scales: 140 to 170

Subcaudal scales: 35 to 50, single

Weight: Not reported

Identification: Similar snakes

Juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes can resemble Grey Snakes. Grey Snakes have larger eyes, single subcaudal scales and no dark bands along the body. Juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes often have dark body bands.

Other possible confusions include Curl Snake, Dwyer's Snake and Carpentaria Snake. Uniform grey to olive-grey colour, large eyes, the juvenile nape marking and the scale characters should be considered together rather than relying on colour alone.

  • Do not handle a suspected Grey Snake unless trained and authorised to handle venomous snakes.
  • Use clear photographs of the head, body and underside where this can be done safely, and record the exact location and habitat.

Identification: Field signs and detection

There are no reliable species-specific tracks, scats, calls, nests or eyeshine described in the supplied sources. Individuals are most likely to be found by head torch or spotlight searches around wetland margins, soil cracks, logs, rocks, flood debris, reed mats and exposed mudflats.

Grey Snakes may be active from sunset to 11.30 pm in southern New South Wales and are often active for only 1 to 2 hours after dusk. They may also be encountered under cover or in soil cracks during the day.

Detection is strongly influenced by rainfall, temperature and wetland inundation. The species has not been detected in dry-phase wetlands in the Lowbidgee region.

  • Replace rocks, logs and other cover after inspection.
  • Avoid prolonged exposure of snakes to bright spotlight beams.
  • Treat a suitable site as potentially occupied if survey conditions are poor, because published detection rates are unavailable.

Distribution: National range

The Grey Snake has a broad mapped range but a patchy occupied distribution. Records are concentrated in isolated floodplain and wetland subpopulations rather than forming a continuous range.

The species occurs from inland southern New South Wales north through inland Queensland to central Queensland, with an isolated Queensland subpopulation near Rockhampton. Most records are below 300 m elevation, although the reported elevation range is 70 to 542 m.

In New South Wales, records are associated mainly with the lower reaches of the Gwydir, Namoi, Castlereagh, Macquarie, Lachlan and Murrumbidgee river systems. In Queensland, records include the Goondiwindi area and Darling Riverine Plain, Darling Downs, Lockyer Valley and the Brigalow Belt south of the Great Dividing Range between Dalby and Glenmorgan.

  • Relevant New South Wales bioregions and subregions include the Darling Riverine Plains, Riverina and New South Wales South Western Slopes.
  • Relevant Queensland areas include the Brigalow Belt South, Darling Riverine Plain, Darling Downs and Lockyer Valley.

Distribution: Subpopulations and strongholds

The New South Wales population is described as five geographically discrete subpopulations: Murrumbidgee and Lachlan, Macquarie Marshes, Castlereagh, Namoi and Gwydir. There is little or no recent connectivity between several of these areas.

Important known areas include the Lowbidgee floodplain, Yanga National Park, Gayini Nimmie-Caira, the Macquarie Marshes, Gwydir Wetlands and Great Cumbung Swamp. Queensland strongholds include floodplain and wetland habitat around the Condamine and Macintyre rivers and the Brigalow Belt South.

  • Some subpopulations occur in protected areas, including Yanga National Park, Gayini Nimmie-Caira, Currawinya National Park, Erringibba National Park, Mount Archer National Park, Southwood National Park and Lake Broadwater Conservation Park.
  • The Gwydir Wetlands and Macquarie Marshes are Ramsar-listed wetlands. Great Cumbung Swamp is listed in the Directory of Nationally Important Wetlands.

Distribution: Population information

There are no reliable estimates of total population size, mature individuals, home range or detection rate. The species is considered severely fragmented, with a continuing or projected decline in habitat quality and, in northern parts of the range, a projected decline associated with Cane Toad invasion.

The EPBC assessment calculated a very large extent of occurrence because of the scattered range, but a small area of occupancy based on recent records. Low record numbers may partly reflect survey timing, detectability and under-reporting.

Calculated extent of occurrence: 471,488 km²

Calculated area of occupancy: 164 km², using recent records and a 2 km by 2 km grid method

Population estimate: Not available

Fragmentation: Severely fragmented; five discrete New South Wales subpopulations were identified

Recent survey records: The EPBC consultation reported 265 Atlas of Living Australia records, including 145 from Queensland and 116 from New South Wales, with record completeness varying between regions

Habitat: Habitat types

Grey Snakes depend on wetland and floodplain mosaics where heavy clay soils, temporary water and frogs occur together. The occupied habitat may be within otherwise modified agricultural or infrastructure areas if suitable wetland margins and shelter remain.

In Queensland, the species occurs in Brigalow and Belah woodlands on heavy, cracking clay soils, particularly beside water bodies and in areas with small gullies, ditches and gilgais.

In southern New South Wales, records are from the margins of ephemeral wetlands within River Red Gum and Black Box communities and Tangled Lignum swamps. The species is associated with floodplain wetlands rather than the main river channel.

Habitat: Features to retain

Habitat features include seasonally inundated floodplains, ephemeral wetlands, swamps and lake systems with cracking clay soils and a diverse frog community. Moist soil cracks, gilgais, logs, rocks, flood debris, reed mats and abandoned burrows provide cover.

A wetland can remain relevant even where surrounding vegetation has been cleared, particularly if its clay margins, inundation pattern, frog habitat and ground cover remain intact.

  • Map wetland margins, floodplain depressions, gilgais, drainage lines, cracking clay and shelter features before clearing or earthworks.
  • Avoid stockpiling soil, driving machinery or placing compounds on wetland margins and cracking clay microhabitat.
  • Include connected floodplain wetlands and potential habitat in impact assessments, not only mapped remnant vegetation.

Habitat: Elevation and hydrology

The reported elevation range is 70 to 542 m, with most records below 300 m. Activity and detectability are linked to warm conditions, rainfall and wetland inundation.

Environmental water has supported recent records in Lowbidgee wetlands. No Grey Snakes were detected there in dry-phase wetlands, although absence during a dry survey does not demonstrate that the site is unoccupied.

Reported elevation range: 70 to 542 m above sea level

Typical occupied setting: Low-lying floodplain and wetland environments, usually on heavy cracking clay

Water regime: Seasonally inundated or ephemeral wetlands, floodplain depressions and associated water bodies

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Grey Snake is primarily a frog predator and feeds where temporary water and wet clay create high frog activity. It searches both open ground and narrow soil cracks around wetland edges.

Known prey include terrestrial frogs from the Hylidae and Myobatrachidae families, including species of Litoria, Adelotus, Limnodynastes, Crinia and Uperoleia. Eastern Sedgefrog and Green Tree Frog are among the arboreal frogs recorded as prey. Skinks have also been recorded but appear to be uncommon prey.

Declines in frog diversity or abundance reduce the Grey Snake's food supply and can affect growth and recruitment.

Primary prey: Frogs, especially ground-dwelling floodplain frogs

Other prey: Tree frogs and occasional skinks

Named prey examples: Litoria fallax, Litoria gracilenta, Limnodynastes fletcheri, Limnodynastes ornatus, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis, Crinia signifera and Uperoleia species

Foraging habitat: How and where it feeds

The species forages at dusk and at night, especially after heavy rain or when soil cracks become inundated. It may travel through cracks in clay soils, search open ground and move beneath vegetation while locating frogs.

In a Murrumbidgee catchment study, Grey Snakes foraged within 30 m of the water's edge and were not detected in adjacent woodland or shrubland vegetation. No measured home range or dispersal distance is available.

Recorded foraging distance from water: Within 30 m of the water's edge in one Murrumbidgee catchment study

Home range: Not known

Peak activity period: Generally October to March, with activity also recorded in other seasons in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland

  • Prioritise wetland edges, inundated cracks, gilgais, exposed mudflats, levee banks, vehicle tracks and vegetation beside temporary water during targeted searches.
  • Where works may affect frog breeding habitat, assess the wetland and its immediate margin together because loss of frog habitat can reduce feeding habitat.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs in wetland and floodplain habitat that supports frogs and provides cover for adults and young. The species gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs.

Females give birth to live young, generally between January and March. Juveniles are about 140 mm long and require suitable wetland-edge habitat and shelter after birth.

Males mature at around seven months and females at about 12 months. Lifespan and gestation length have not been reported in the supplied sources.

Breeding type: Viviparous, live-bearing

Birth period: January to March

Litter size: 4 to 16 young, average 10

Juvenile length: About 140 mm

Age at maturity: Males about 7 months; females about 12 months

Gestation length: Not reported

Lifespan: Not reported

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat requirements

Breeding habitat is expected to be within the same seasonally inundated floodplain wetlands used for feeding and shelter. The strongest evidence is for wetland margins with heavy cracking clay, frog diversity, soil cracks and ground cover.

Maintaining wetland inundation at appropriate times supports the frogs on which the species depends. Clearing, drainage, soil compaction or earthworks that remove cracks and shelter can affect adults, newborn young and prey habitat.

  • Avoid clearing wetland margins and cracking clay habitat during January to March where practicable.
  • Retain logs, rocks, flood debris, reed mats and undisturbed soil cracks around suitable wetlands.
  • Manage sediment, nutrients, pesticides and other runoff so frog breeding habitat and wetland water quality are not degraded.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

Grey Snakes shelter close to wetland edges and use existing ground-level cover rather than tree hollows. Their small size and association with cracking clay make soil disturbance a direct habitat risk.

Documented refuges include soil cracks, rocks, logs, flood debris, reed mats and abandoned burrows. Individuals may shelter under cover or in cracks during the day and during dry wetland conditions.

The species has also been reported sheltering beneath vegetation and in ground features near water bodies, gullies and ditches. No den dimensions, burrow dimensions or required cover sizes have been reported.

Known refuge types: Soil cracks, rocks, logs, flood debris, reed mats, vegetation and abandoned burrows

Tree hollows: Not identified as a shelter requirement

Refuge dimensions: Not reported

  • Inspect and retain ground cover around wetlands before moving logs, rocks, debris or soil.
  • Do not fill or compact cracking clay, gilgais or abandoned burrows within suitable habitat unless the impact has been assessed and authorised.
  • Keep search and clearing crews away from shelter features where a snake is being managed or relocated.

Sheltering habitat: Project handling considerations

Grey Snakes are front-fanged and bites can cause severe symptoms. Handling should be restricted to trained and competent personnel using approved venomous-snake procedures.

If temporary holding is necessary, the Queensland survey guideline recommends one snake per double calico bag, kept cool and out of direct sunlight, with release at the capture site as soon as possible after identification.

  • Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher for searches, capture and release.
  • Replace disturbed habitat as closely as practicable after a search.
  • Check traps early in the morning and provide shade, shelter and floats where trapping is authorised, because heat, dehydration, predation and drowning are risks.

Threats: Clearing, fragmentation and earthworks

The main risks are loss and fragmentation of floodplain wetlands, altered inundation, decline of frog prey and invasive predators. Project activities can add direct risks through clearing, soil compaction, drainage, runoff, traffic and fire.

Land clearing, pasture improvement and cultivation have removed and degraded wetland and floodplain habitat across the range. Heavy machinery can disrupt cracking clay soils and remove shelter and foraging microhabitat.

Development and agricultural activities can isolate reserves from nearby suitable habitat. Roads, pipeline corridors, dam works and other linear projects may create direct mortality and sever wetland or floodplain connections if they remove cover or alter drainage.

  • Avoid clearing seasonally inundated floodplains, ephemeral wetlands, wetland margins, cracking clay, gilgais and associated ground cover.
  • Fence exclusion zones around retained habitat and keep vehicles, laydown areas and spoil outside them.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers during clearing where suitable habitat is present, and stop work if a Grey Snake is found.

Threats: Hydrology and water quality

River regulation, water extraction, drainage and conversion of wetlands have reduced the frequency and extent of floodplain inundation. Reduced inundation can lower frog diversity and abundance and reduce feeding opportunities.

Stormwater, nutrients, pesticides and other agricultural or construction pollutants can damage wetland health and the frog food chain. Prolonged drought and higher temperatures can dry waterholes and remove wetland refuges.

  • Prevent sediment, contaminated water, nutrients and chemicals from entering wetlands and drainage lines.
  • Maintain natural or agreed environmental water regimes and avoid blocking, draining or concentrating flows through occupied wetland habitat.
  • Assess both the direct works footprint and downstream or upstream changes to inundation.

Threats: Predators and invasive species

Feral cats and foxes prey on Grey Snakes. Feral pigs can prey on snakes, compete for frogs and damage wetland soil and ground cover by rooting and trampling.

Cane Toads are a major suspected risk because Grey Snakes eat frogs and have low resistance to Cane Toad toxin. Cane Toads overlap the species in Queensland and are predicted to expand through northern New South Wales and Queensland.

  • Control feral pigs, cats and foxes in accordance with approved site and regional pest programmes.
  • Do not move Cane Toads, frogs or contaminated equipment between wetlands.
  • Clean equipment between sites to reduce weed and pathogen transfer.

Threats: Fire and other pressures

Large intense fires can alter floodplain vegetation and may kill snakes or remove ground cover. Fire that is too frequent can also reduce habitat suitability, while prolonged drought can increase the risk of extensive wildfire.

The supplied sources do not identify a species-specific disease. They do identify pathogen transfer on survey equipment as a general wetland management risk.

  • Plan prescribed burning to avoid known habitat and minimise impacts during January to March breeding and birth periods where practicable.
  • Contain wildfires quickly and avoid burning retained wetland-edge cover.
  • Use clean equipment between wetlands and follow site hygiene procedures.

Survey methodology: 1. Passive nocturnal searches

Survey Grey Snakes in suitable floodplain and wetland habitat under warm, humid conditions, particularly after rainfall has inundated soil cracks and gilgais. Detection is low and varies with inundation, temperature and frog activity, so absence from a single survey is not evidence of absence.

Search seasonally inundated floodplains, ephemeral wetlands, gilgais and wetland margins on heavy cracking clay soils.

Search during spring and summer, within the first four hours after dusk, and preferably after heavy rainfall.

Use head torches or spotlights with a bright, focused beam to scan soil cracks, fallen logs, rocks, flood debris, vegetation around water bodies and abandoned burrows.

The species is crepuscular to nocturnal and may be active for only one to two hours after dusk.

In southern NSW, activity has been recorded from October to February at temperatures above 15 degrees Celsius. In northern NSW and Queensland, records occur in all seasons but are most frequent from October to March.

Search effort: 60 minutes per plot, with two plots per 5 hectares, or three plots if the area is less than 5 hectares

Timing: First four hours after dusk, preferably after heavy rain

Breeding period: January to March

  • Survey two 100 metre by 100 metre plots per 5 hectares of suitable habitat, or three plots where the suitable area is less than 5 hectares.
  • Undertake two 30 person-minute searches per plot during each survey period.
  • Complete two survey periods under suitable conditions.

Survey methodology: 2. Nocturnal vehicle transects

Drive roads and well-maintained tracks that cross suitable cracking clay, gilgai, floodplain and wetland habitat.

Use warm, humid nights and repeat the same sections where possible.

The driver and front passenger should scan the road for snakes crossing or basking on warm surfaces.

Effort: About 250 kilometres, or all suitable roads surveyed repeatedly

Timing: Two nights, under warm and humid conditions

Driving speed: About 10 kilometres per hour

  • Survey approximately 250 kilometres of suitable roads, or all suitable roads where fewer than 250 kilometres are available.
  • Spread the transect effort over two nights and complete two survey periods.
  • Drive at a constant speed of about 10 kilometres per hour.
  • Record transect length, visibility, rain, road condition, speed, survey time and every animal detected.

Survey methodology: 3. Active diurnal searches

Search sheltering sites from mid-morning to mid-afternoon when weather conditions are suitable for daytime shelter searches.

Target rocks, logs and other large ground objects in or beside suitable wetland and floodplain habitat.

Replace every log, rock and other shelter feature as closely as possible to its original position.

Plot size: 50 metres by 50 metres

Effort: 60 minutes per plot, with two plots per 5 hectares, or three plots if the area is less than 5 hectares

Survey periods: Two

  • Use 50 metre by 50 metre plots, with two plots per 5 hectares of suitable habitat, or three plots if the area is less than 5 hectares.
  • Undertake two 30 person-minute searches per plot during each survey period.
  • Complete two survey periods.
  • Minimise disturbance to soil cracks, wetland margins, logs, rocks and ground vegetation.

Survey methodology: 4. Pitfall and funnel trapping

Use trapping only where the survey design, animal welfare controls and approval conditions support it, and where trained personnel can safely handle venomous snakes.

Place trapping arrays in or beside cracking clay and gilgai habitat during optimal conditions, preferably after rainfall.

Use trapping as an additional method rather than the sole survey method, because capture rates are expected to be low.

Indicative effort: More than 50 pitfall and 50 funnel trap nights per hectare

Trap placement: In or beside cracking clay and gilgai habitat

Checks: Early each morning before temperatures become hot

  • Allow more than 50 pitfall trap nights and more than 50 funnel trap nights per hectare where this method is used.
  • Check traps early each morning before temperatures become hot.
  • Provide shelter and shade, add floats to pitfall buckets, and close buckets if they begin to fill with water.
  • Close traps immediately if ants attack captured animals or if heat, dehydration, flooding or other conditions create an animal welfare risk.
  • Ensure personnel checking traps are trained to remove venomous snakes safely.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • If the recommended effort cannot be completed and suitable habitat is present, treat Grey Snake as potentially present rather than relying on a negative result.
  • Record date, start and finish time, weather, rainfall, temperature, inundation status, search area, observer effort, method, visibility and habitat condition for every survey.
  • Record the exact location, photograph, identification features and behaviour for each detection, while avoiding prolonged exposure to spotlight beams.
  • Submit confirmed records, including reliable nil-survey data where required, to the relevant state wildlife database and include them in the project fauna report.
  • Use the current state database and approval requirements for the project location, including NSW BioNet or the Queensland WildNet system where applicable.
  • Have a suitably qualified herpetologist confirm uncertain identifications because Grey Snakes can be confused with juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes, Curl Snakes, Dwyer's Snakes and Carpentaria Snakes.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Treat seasonally inundated floodplains and associated wetlands as potential Grey Snake habitat wherever cracking clay soils and frog habitat occur within the species' known or likely range. The species is nationally listed as Endangered and is listed as Endangered in NSW and Queensland.

Habitat to retain: Seasonally inundated floodplains and associated wetlands, swamps or lakes with cracking clay soils and frog diversity

Recorded foraging zone: Within 30 metres of the wetland water edge in a Murrumbidgee catchment study

  • Retain ephemeral wetlands, swamps, lake margins, floodplain depressions, gilgais and cracking clay soils wherever practicable.
  • Retain wetland margins and the surrounding shelter features used by Grey Snakes, including soil cracks, logs, rocks, flood debris and abandoned burrows.
  • Avoid clearing or compacting habitat within and around wetlands, particularly areas used by frogs and areas within about 30 metres of the water edge where the species has been recorded foraging in southern NSW.
  • Maintain links between wetlands and floodplain habitat where they exist, and avoid creating barriers between isolated subpopulations.
  • Prevent changes to natural or environmental flooding regimes, water levels and wetland drying patterns that would reduce frog breeding habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Check whether the proposed action is likely to have a significant impact on an EPBC Act listed species and obtain project specific Commonwealth approval or referral advice before work starts.
  • Check NSW or Queensland threatened species requirements, fauna handling authorities and any survey, clearing or animal welfare approvals that apply at the site.
  • Prepare a species-specific fauna management plan covering survey conditions, exclusion or no-go areas, wetland protection, spotter catcher procedures, equipment hygiene, incident response and reporting.
  • Stage clearing outside the main activity period where practicable, while recognising that Grey Snakes may be active in all seasons in northern NSW and Queensland.
  • Schedule the main survey and pre-clearance work for warm conditions, preferably after rainfall has inundated soil cracks or gilgais.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance and site preparation

  • Complete targeted pre-clearance searches using the methods and effort specified for suitable habitat before machinery enters the work area.
  • Mark retained wetlands, wetland margins, cracking clay areas, logs, rocks, flood debris, burrows and other shelter features on plans and on the ground.
  • Fence or otherwise exclude machinery from retained habitat where the site design allows it, and inspect the controls before each shift.
  • Keep spoil, fill, fuels, chemicals, washdown water and sediment out of wetlands and drainage lines.
  • Plan a safe, shaded holding and release procedure before any snake is captured, and ensure only trained, authorised personnel handle the species.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher procedure

Use a spotter catcher who can identify Grey Snakes and work directly with the machine operator. The species is venomous, cryptic and closely tied to wetland moisture, cracking clay soils and frog habitat.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, wetland controls, access tracks and marked no-go areas before work starts each day.
  • The fauna spotter catcher should walk the active clearing edge and inspect soil cracks, logs, rocks, flood debris, burrows and wetland vegetation before machinery disturbs them.
  • Keep machinery stopped while the spotter catcher checks each habitat feature or directs its removal.
  • Use staged clearing towards retained habitat so animals have an opportunity to move away from the active work area.
  • Do not allow workers to handle, chase, pin, photograph closely or retain a Grey Snake unless they are trained and authorised to do so.
  • Keep all personnel clear of a venomous snake and follow the project's snake bite emergency procedure.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and wetlands

  • Do not disturb retained wetland margins, inundated depressions, gilgais, cracking clay, logs, rocks, flood debris or abandoned burrows unless the approved work method requires it.
  • Where a log or rock must be moved, inspect it first, move it with care under spotter catcher direction, and replace it in the original position where practicable.
  • Do not compact, fill or seal soil cracks that provide shelter or access to frog prey unless authorised by the approved impact controls.
  • Prevent sediment, fuel, herbicide, pesticide, concrete washout and other pollutants from entering wetlands or reducing frog habitat.
  • Stop work and reassess if clearing exposes an occupied burrow, wetland refuge, concentrated frog habitat or an unexpected area of suitable cracking clay habitat.

During habitat disturbance: If a Grey Snake is found

  • Stop nearby machinery and people, establish a safe exclusion area and allow the animal to move away if it can do so without being confined or harmed.
  • Have only trained and authorised personnel identify or handle the snake; bites can cause severe symptoms.
  • Avoid holding the animal, and release it at the capture site as soon as possible after identification where that site remains safe and suitable.
  • If the approved fauna management plan requires relocation, use only an authorised nearby retained habitat site with suitable shelter, wetland conditions and project approval.
  • If an animal is injured, do not release it; place it under the project wildlife rescue procedure and transfer it to an appropriately qualified veterinarian or wildlife carer.
  • Stop work for any injured or dead Grey Snake, a snake that cannot be safely removed, or a condition that prevents the spotter catcher from maintaining a safe exclusion zone.
  • Record the location, time, habitat, condition, action taken, release or treatment location, photographs and personnel involved, and notify the environmental manager and approval agencies where required.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Do not remove fauna controls when machinery leaves until the site is stable and retained habitat remains protected. Use post-clearance checks to identify animals, habitat damage and failures in wetland protection.

  • Inspect the cleared area, retained wetland margins, soil cracks, logs, rocks, flood debris and burrows after clearing and after major rain or flooding events.
  • Complete additional nocturnal searches where clearing has opened access to suitable wetland habitat or where the spotter catcher records a Grey Snake, frog concentration or previously unmapped habitat.
  • Check that no animal has been trapped in trenches, pipes, pits, erosion controls, sediment basins or construction compounds.
  • Repair exclusion fencing and cover or ramp open excavations in accordance with the fauna management plan.
  • Maintain wetland, sediment and chemical controls until the site no longer poses a risk to retained habitat.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained wetlands for inundation, wetland drying, frog activity, soil compaction, weeds, chemical runoff, fire damage, pigs, cats and foxes.
  • Use repeat surveys under comparable warm, humid and post-rain conditions so changes in detections can be interpreted alongside inundation and weather.
  • Report all detections, injuries, deaths, relocations, habitat damage, stop-work events and corrective actions to the project environmental manager.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and provide Commonwealth and state reports required by approval conditions.
  • Review whether the project has caused a continuing decline in habitat area, habitat quality, wetland connectivity or the number of occupied sites.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and approval conditions

  • Apply any offset, restoration or other compensatory measure required by the EPBC Act approval, state approval or project permit.
  • Use retained or offset areas that protect the species' actual habitat features, including seasonally inundated wetlands, cracking clay soils, frog habitat and shelter sites.
  • Do not treat a general woodland offset as equivalent to Grey Snake wetland habitat unless the approval specifically establishes that equivalence.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore wetland function, cracking clay shelter and frog habitat rather than only replacing vegetation cover. Set objectives that can be checked through habitat inspections, hydrological records, frog monitoring and targeted Grey Snake surveys.

NSW habitat plants and communities: River Red Gum, Black Box and Tangled Lignum wetland and floodplain communities

Queensland habitat plants and communities: Brigalow and Belah woodlands on heavy, cracking clay soils

  • Reinstate seasonal inundation patterns and wetland refuges in consultation with water managers, while avoiding prolonged drying caused by altered flows or drainage.
  • Restore wetland margins with locally appropriate River Red Gum, Black Box and Tangled Lignum communities in southern NSW where those communities form the reference habitat.
  • In Queensland, restore locally appropriate Brigalow and Belah woodland on heavy cracking clay soils near water bodies, gilgais, gullies and floodplains.
  • Reform compacted or filled clay areas where practicable so soil cracks, shallow depressions and frog breeding sites can develop.
  • Replace suitable logs, rocks and flood debris in retained or rehabilitated habitat, and retain abandoned burrows and other ground shelter features.
  • Keep rehabilitation areas connected to nearby wetlands and floodplain habitat where the project has removed barriers or disturbed movement routes.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats during recovery

  • Control feral pigs because they turn over soil, damage logs and rocks, compete for frogs and degrade wetland habitat.
  • Use approved cat and fox control and monitor predator activity in rehabilitation areas.
  • Prevent weeds, livestock grazing, trampling, chemical runoff and sediment from reducing wetland and frog habitat.
  • Plan fire so prescribed burns avoid known habitat and breeding periods where practicable, and prevent large or repeated fires from removing wetland shelter.
  • Manage cane toad risk in Queensland and northern NSW through the relevant state or project control programme, recognising that Grey Snakes are susceptible because frogs make up most of their diet.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and adaptive management

  • Confirm that wetland depressions receive appropriate seasonal inundation and retain refuge habitat during dry periods.
  • Measure recovery of cracking clay soils, wetland margins, shelter features, native vegetation and frog breeding activity against the approved rehabilitation objectives.
  • Repeat targeted nocturnal searches using comparable effort and conditions, and assess detections together with rainfall, temperature, inundation and frog abundance.
  • Investigate any continuing absence of frogs or Grey Snakes, new barriers, prolonged wetland drying, pig damage, predator pressure or fire impacts, and change management accordingly.
  • Maintain rehabilitation, weed, pest, water and fire controls for the period required by approval conditions and continue reporting results to the relevant authorities.

Sources